NEW YORK: Hillary Clinton’s diagnosis of pneumonia is a serious concern, but something from which she soon should recover, several doctors and medical experts said Sunday.
Clinton, 68, unexpectedly left a 9/11 anniversary ceremony in New York after she became “overheated and dehydrated,” her doctor said. Clinton went to her daughter’s nearby apartment for a short stay, and emerged before noon to tell reporters, “I’m feeling great.”
Several hours later, Clinton’s physician said the Democratic presidential nominee was diagnosed on Friday with pneumonia. “She was put on antibiotics, and advised to rest and modify her schedule,” said Dr. Lisa R. Bardack, an internist who practices near Clinton’s suburban New York home.
Bardack added in a statement that Clinton, after an exam Sunday afternoon at her home, “is now rehydrated and recovering nicely.”
A look at pneumonia and Clinton’s health history.
Q: What is pneumonia?
A: Pneumonia is an infection of the lungs. Often it’s a bacterial infection that sweeps in after a cold or flu virus. Each year, about 1 million people in the United States seek hospital care because of pneumonia, and it causes tens of thousands of deaths, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
A presidential candidate is at high risk for such an infection, said Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease expert at Vanderbilt University.
“Candidates are constantly out in enclosed spaces, face to face with myriads of people,” he said. “It’s an ideal opportunity for the transmission of a respiratory virus.”
Q: How is it treated?
A: Pneumonia is commonly treated quickly and effectively with antibiotics. Speaking generally and not about Clinton’s case, Schaffner said patients with a mild pneumonia can recover with antibiotics, a few days of rest and good hydration.
But Clinton does need to take it seriously, some experts said.
People over age 65 have a harder time returning to normal than do younger patients. Many people her age need a week or more to recover from even a mild case of pneumonia, said Dr. Sharon Bergquist, an Emory University assistant professor of medicine who specializes in internal medicine.
Q: Has Clinton had any recent health issues?
A: Clinton had a coughing fit while campaigning in Cleveland early last week. It was dismissed by her aides as allergies and by Clinton herself at that moment as stemming from “talking so much.”
It’s possible Clinton may have assumed symptoms from an earlier viral infection were due to allergies, Schaffner said.
Clinton takes antihistamines, which can “dry you out,” and dehydration leads to a person being susceptible to heat exhaustion, Bergquist said.
Add in the possibility of fever, shortness of breath or other symptoms from pneumonia, and you have a constellation of factors that could have explained her feeling weak on Sunday, she said.