What to Know
- George H.W. Bush was admitted earlier this week to Houston Methodist Hospital for an infection in his bloodstream.
- Spokesperson Jim McGrath said he will stay in the hospital through the weekend to "continue his recovery and regaining strength."
- McGrath had said earlier that "his doctors are very pleased with his progress."
Former President George H.W. Bush is remaining in his Houston hospital through the weekend to "continue his recovery and regaining strength," his spokesperson said.
Bush was admitted earlier this week to Houston Methodist Hospital for an infection in his bloodstream, just after attending the funeral of his wife, Barbara.
"41 is in excellent spirits, and is looking forward to resuming his schedule and going to Maine next month," spokesperson Jim McGrath wrote on Twitter. He did not provide any other details.
McGrath had said earlier that the 93-year-old's doctors "are very pleased with his progress" and that additional updates would be issued "as events warrant."
"He's the most goal-oriented person on this planet," McGrath said.
Bush uses a wheelchair and an electric scooter for mobility after developing a form of Parkinson's disease, and he has needed hospital treatment several times in recent years for respiratory problems.
U.S. & World
A year ago this month, he spent two weeks in the hospital for treatment of pneumonia and chronic bronchitis, a constant irritation of the lining of tubes that carry air to one's lungs. His doctors said chronic bronchitis is a condition more prevalent with age and can aggravate the symptoms of pneumonia.
The elder Bush was hospitalized for 16 days in January 2017 for pneumonia. During that hospital stay, which included time in intensive care, doctors inserted a breathing tube and connected him to a ventilator.
He also was hospitalized in 2015 in Maine after falling at home and breaking a bone in his neck, and in December 2014 for about a week for shortness of breath. He spent Christmas 2012 in intensive care for a bronchitis-related cough and other issues.
People in their 90s with Parkinson's disease are often at higher risk of pneumonia and other infections because their swallowing process can be compromised, said Dr. David Reuben, professor of geriatric medicine at the UCLA medical school in Los Angeles.
"And the stress of losing a loved one can weaken the immune system," he said.
Bacterial infections are treated with antibiotics, he said, while viral infections require other treatments. Infections that spread to the blood usually are not viral, however, he said.
The prognosis for such a case would depend on a number of factors, including heart rate, blood pressure and oxygenation, Reuben said.
"The more of these parameters are abnormal, the more serious the case is," he said.
George Herbert Walker Bush served as president from 1989 to 1993. Born June 12, 1924, in Milton, Massachusetts, Bush also served as a congressman, CIA director and Ronald Reagan's vice president.
Associated Press reporter Terry Wallace contributed to this story.
