HOUSTON â€" Former President George H.W. Bush is being treated at a hospital here for complications related to bronchitis, but a spokesman said Thursday that he is in stable condition and expected to be released within the next 72 hours.
Mr. Bush, 88, was admitted to The Methodist Hospital the day after Thanksgiving. It was his second hospitalization there this month, said the spokesman, Jim McGrath.
“At age 88, bronchitis can be very serious, but in this case it was never life-threatening,†Mr. McGrath said. “If you asked him how he's doing, he would tell you he's getting out this afternoon, because he feels that good. But he does have a lingering cough, so the doctors are going to wait until he's better to their satisfaction before they discharge him.â€
On Sunday, Mr. Bush's son and daughter-in-law, former President George W. Bush and former First Lady Laura Bush, visited him at the hospital. The elder Mr. Bush's wife, former First Lady Barbara B ush, has been a constant presence by his side, Mr. McGrath said.
Mr. Bush has had numerous health problems in recent years, including being diagnosed with a form of Parkinson's disease. Last year, he described his condition to Time magazine this way: “My legs don't move when my brain tells them to. It's very frustrating. But I am in no pain, and I have discovered the amazing scooters, which Barbara accuses me of driving like I drive my boat. But they help me get around.â€
Yet Mr. Bush, the 41st president of the United States, has remained active. Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney visited him last year at his Houston home and again in March at his Houston office. In January, he sat in his wheelchair shaking hands with runners during the Houston Marathon. Earlier this month, on Nov. 1, he met an old friend for lunch at a local club: Mikhail Gorbachev, the former president of the Soviet Union. “It was a very warm , very personal reunion,†Mr. McGrath said.
