THE US: Former US president John F Kennedy suffered from more ailments, was in far greater pain and was taking much more medication than the public knew at the time, according to new information from his medical records, the New York Times reported.
As president he was famous for having a bad back. Since his death, biographers have pieced together details of other illnesses, including persistent digestive problems and Addison's disease, a life-threatening lack of adrenal function.
However, newly-disclosed medical files covering Kennedy's last eight years, including X-rays and prescription records, show he took painkillers, anti-anxiety agents, stimulants and sleeping pills, as well as hormones to to keep himself alive, with extra doses in times of stress.
The president sometimes took as many as eight medications a day, says historian Robert Dallek, who is writing a biography on Kennedy.
By the time of the Cuban missile crisis, Kennedy was taking antispasmodics to control colitis; antibiotics for a urinary tract infection; and increased amounts of hydrocortisone and testosterone, along with salt tablets to boost energy. - (Reuters)