Former President George H.W. Bush in hospital after 'shortness of breath'

George H.W. Bush is hospitalized in Houston

(Image credit: Getty Images)

published 18 January 2017

Former President George H.W. Bush, 92, is in the hospital in Houston after experiencing "shortness of breath," his office said early Wednesday, adding that the 41st president is "being monitored as a precaution and is resting comfortably." His chief of staff, Jean Becker, told the Houston Chronicle earlier that Bush would likely be released from Houston Methodist Hospital in a few days, adding, "He's fine and he's doing really well."

This isn't the first time Bush has been hospitalized for shortness of breath — he spent a week in the hospital in December 2014 with the same symptoms, and six months later fell and broke a bone in his neck at his summer home in Maine. Bush, president from 1989 to 1993, has a form of Parkinson's that compels him to use a wheelchair or motorized scooter to get around, but his maladies did not stop him from jumping out of an airplane on his 90th birthday in June 2014 or taking a group of wounded vets fishing over the summer.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.