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Dr Gérald Kierzek (Medical Director of Doctissimo)
Medical validation:
March 30, 2023
On Wednesday, Pope Francis was hospitalized in Rome with a respiratory infection. Update on the risks incurred by the head of the Catholic Church, with Dr Gérald Kierzek, emergency physician and medical director of Doctissimo.
Already suffering from recurring health problems, the sovereign pontiff was hospitalized on Wednesday for a “heart problem”. It would be a respiratory infection, the nature of which remains unknown to this day.
The pope had appeared smiling earlier in the morning
“In recent days, Pope Francis has been experiencing difficulty breathing and this afternoon he was admitted to the A. Gemelli Polyclinic for medical checks“, said Matteo Bruni, director of the Holy See’s Press Office.
The exams have “revealed a respiratory infection“unrelated to Covid-19 and the pope will have to undergo treatment in hospital for”A few days“, he pointed out.
Earlier in the morning, the pope had appeared smiling aboard his “popemobile“, at the weekly general audience in St. Peter’s Square.
Despite this reassuring image, the Argentine pope faces multiple health problems. He suffers from chronic knee pain and only moves around in a wheelchair.
In July 2021, he was also hospitalized at Gemelli Hospital for a major colon operation, probably following his problems with inflammation of the diverticula (hernias or pockets that form on the walls of the digestive system).
His general state of health therefore remains uncertain, to say the least.
A life-threatening infection
If we do not know the origin of this respiratory infection, it remains all the same “worrying”, according to Dr. Kierzek.
“Respiratory infections can be dangerous in the elderly. Pneumonia is indeed the leading cause of death among the elderly, with a death rate of around 40%. This infection can also be a simple bronchitis, but which can, once again, degenerate in the elderly – with a weaker immune system – with the key, a risk of respiratory decompensation and respiratory distress. This is why Pope Francis was the subject of an almost preventive hospitalization here. Don’t let this infection hang around“, assures the emergency doctor.