Politics
Ex President Bill Clinton struck down with ‘sepsis’ is ‘up & about & charming hospital staff’ as well-wishes flood in
BILL Clinton “is up and about and charming hospital staff” after the former president was reportedly struck down by sepsis.
The 75-year-old was admitted to the University of California Irvine Medical Center for an “infection” on Tuesday, a spokesperson revealed Thursday.
AP:Associated PressFormer president Bill Clinton is in hospital after reportedly being struck down by sepsis[/caption]
AFPDoctors say the 75-year-old is in good spirits[/caption]
Doctors say the former president is said to be “on the mend” and in good spirits.
Clinton is said to be “mobile” and was joking around with hospital staff on Thursday, CNN reports.
Meghan McCain, daughter of the former Republican Senator John McCain, tweeted: “Wishing President Bill Clinton a speedy recovery and all the best wishes.
“Also sending strength and support to Hillary Clinton and Chelsea Clinton during this time.”
Jaime Harrison, chair of the Democratic National Committee, tweeted: “Praying for a speedy recovery for President Bill Clinton.”
Clinton was admitted to the intensive care unit for close monitoring and administered IV antibiotics and fluids, doctors said.
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Gupta said the former president is ICU for “privacy reasons”.
The doctors are confident Clinton’s status is improving and he could be released as early as Friday.
They said: “After two days of treatment, his white blood cell count is trending down and he is responding to antibiotics well. We hope to have him go home soon.”
The former Commander-in-Chief fell ill on Tuesday when he was in southern California for a Clinton Foundation-related event.
Wife and former Secretary of State Hillary, 73, was with him in California for the event. She has not commented on his hospitalization.
Clinton reportedly developed an infection that developed into urosepsis – a type of sepsis.
Sepsis is defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Protection (CDC) as the “body’s extreme response to an infection.”
It is considered to be a life-threatening medical emergency.
It is caused when an infection “triggers a chain reaction throughout your body.”
The most common source of sepsis infection forms in the lung, urinary tract, skin, or gastrointestinal tract.
If the infection is left untreated it could quickly cause tissue damage, organ failure, and death, the CDC states.
Three years after the former president left the White House in 2001, he underwent a four-hour quadruple bypass operation at the Columbia campus of New York Presbyterian Hospital.
He then had two stents implanted in his coronary artery in 2010.
AP:Associated PressClinton, center, seen here in a file pic with daughter Chelsea, left, and wife Hillary, right, fell ill on Tuesday[/caption]
GettyThe hospital admitting Clinton is located in Irvine, California which is about 42 miles south of Los Angeles[/caption]
What is sepsis and what are the symptoms?
The condition is always triggered by an infection.
It is not contagious and cannot be passed from person to person.
Most often the culprit is an infection we all recognise – pneumonia, urinary infections (UTIs), skin infections, including cellulitis, and infections in the stomach, for example appendicitis.
Typically, when a person suffers a minor cut, the area surrounding the wound will become red, swollen and warm to touch.
This is evidence the body’s immune system has kicked into action, releasing white blood cells to the site of the injury to kill off the bacteria causing the infection.
The white blood cells and platelets form blood clots in the tissues around the cut.
Blood vessels swell to allow more blood to flow, and they become leaky, allowing infection-fighting cells to get out of the blood and into the tissues where they are needed.
This causes inflammation, which appears to us as the red, warm swelling.
When sepsis happens, this system goes into overdrive.
The inflammation that is typically seen just around the minor cut, spreads through the body, affecting healthy tissue and organs.
The immune system – the body’s defence mechanism – overreacts and the result is it attacks the body.
It can lead to organ failure and septic shock, which can prove fatal.
Bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites can all trigger sepsis – though the most dangerous culprit is bacteria.
In developing nations, the condition remains a leading cause of death.
Known by its colloquial name “blood poisoning”, sepsis is also often referred to as a “flesh-eating disease”.
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