Bill Clinton Hospitalized

— Former president was treated for the flu and has now been discharged, spokesperson says

MedpageToday
A photo of Bill Clinton speaking during the Democratic National Convention, Aug. 21, 2024, in Chicago.
(AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File)

Former President Bill Clinton was admitted Monday to MedStar Georgetown University Hospital in Washington after developing a fever, treated for the flu, and discharged on Tuesday.

The 78-year-old was hospitalized in the "afternoon for testing and observation," Angel Urena, Clinton's deputy chief of staff, said in a statement.

“President Clinton was discharged earlier today after being treated for the flu. He and his family are deeply grateful for the exceptional care provided,” said Urena in a post on X.

Clinton, a Democrat who served two terms as president from January 1993 until January 2001, addressed the Democratic National Convention in Chicago this summer, and campaigned ahead of November's election for the unsuccessful White House bid of Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris.

In the years since Clinton left the White House, he's faced some health scares.

In 2004, he underwent quadruple bypass surgery after experiencing prolonged chest pains and shortness of breath. Clinton returned to the hospital for surgery for a partially collapsed lung in 2005, and in 2010 he had a pair of stents implanted in a coronary artery.

Clinton responded by embracing a largely vegan diet that saw him lose weight and report improved health.

In 2021, the former president was hospitalized for 6 days in California while being treated for an infection that was unrelated to COVID-19, when the pandemic was still near its height.

An aide to the former president said then that Clinton had a urological infection that spread to his bloodstream, but was on the mend and never went into septic shock, a potentially life-threatening condition. The aide said Clinton was in an intensive care section of the hospital that time, but wasn't receiving ICU care.