Inside Bill Clinton's Hospitalization

Former President Bill Clinton was hospitalized at the University of California Irvine Medical Center for "an infection," Dr. Alpesh Amin, chair of medicine at the UC Irvine Medical Center, and Dr. Lisa Bardack, Clinton's primary doctor, said in a joint statement posted to Twitter on October 14. "He was admitted to the ICU for close monitoring and administered IV antibiotics and fluids. He remains at the hospital for continuous monitoring." They added that while the former president had been moved to the intensive care unit, his condition was not critical, and he was there for privacy and safety reasons. The retired politician had been in the Golden State for work-related reasons, according to multiple reports.

So what led to Clinton's hospitalization? Clinton's aide, Angel Ureña, clarified via Twitter that the infection is "non-COVID" related. The 75-year-old's doctors told CNN he developed a urological infection that "spread to his bloodstream." Although CNN's report did not describe Clinton's condition as sepsis, the diagnosis is an infection of the blood, which can lead to organ failure, according to Mayo Clinic.

Of course, many have expressed concern about Clinton's well-being, and his doctors assured the public via their statement that they've been in "constant communication" with Clinton's medical team in New York, "including his cardiologist," which might be because he has a history of heart problems. The former president's team also revealed how he has responded to treatment so far. 

Bill Clinton's spokesperson, Angel Ureña, provided an update via Twitter about the former president's diagnosis. "He is on the mend, in good spirits, and incredibly thankful to the doctors, nurses, and staff providing him with excellent care," the staffer wrote.

Clinton's doctors also revealed he has responded well to the treatment plan. "His white blood cell count is trending down," the doctors assured. "He is responding to antibiotics well." They also added that while he is currently under close observation, they hope that he can get discharged soon.

This isn't the first time that he has been hospitalized. Clinton underwent quadruple coronary bypass surgery in 2004 in response to a life-threatening heart condition, per The New York Times. It happened again in 2010 when he went to the hospital after experiencing chest pains. That's the same year Clinton became a vegan, telling AARP about the switch, "I just decided that I was the high-risk person, and I didn't want to fool with this anymore. And I wanted to live to be a grandfather." He added, "So I decided to pick the diet that I thought would maximize my chances of long-term survival."