George Bush Sr. hospitalised with respiratory problems

Washington, Dec 24 (IANS/EFE) Former US president George W.H. Bush has been transferred, as a precautionary measure, to a hospital in Houston after suffering respiratory problems, according to a statement from his office.

The former president, 90, was admitted Tuesday to the Houston Methodist Hospital where he would remain under observation as a precautionary measure, his spokesperson Jim McGrath said.

President Barack Obama, who is on vacation in Hawaii, has been informed about the development, according to White House spokesperson Eric Schultz.

"President Obama and the first lady sent their good wishes to the former president and the entire Bush family," Schultz said in a statement.

Bush was admitted to the same hospital for a month in 2012 suffering from a bronchitis-related problem.

The former president, who suffers from Parkinson's disease and has difficulty moving his legs, celebrated his 90th birthday in June with a parachute jump, just as he did on his 85th, 80th and 75th birthdays.

A World War II veteran, Bush also served as vice president under Ronald Reagan and is the father of former president George W. Bush.

Bush began to experience health problems when he was president in 1991 and had to be admitted for cardiac arrhythmia and was diagnosed with Graves' disease.

This condition, which also ails his wife Barbara, is a result of hyperactivity of the thyroid gland.

In 2000, he was admitted to the Naples Community Hospital at Florida after feeling unwell during a reception with bankers, and was diagnosed with cardiac arrhythmia due to atrial fibrillation.

Atrial fibrillation is a condition in which the two upper chambers of the heart contract very fast and irregularly, causing low blood pressure, and if unchecked, could lead to a heart attack.

--IANS/EFE

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