Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has been diagnosed with leukemia, confirmed this Thursday to Reuters, citing a source close to the case, after the information was put forward by Corriere della Sera.
The 86-year-old leader of Forza Italia was admitted to San Raffaele Hospital in Milan on Wednesday with respiratory problems. According to Italian media, Berlusconi has been admitted to intensive care and his health condition is complex but stable.
According to Corriere della Sera, lung infection will be a possible complication of the diagnosis of leukemia.
According to the Italian news agency ANSA, Berlusconi is being treated for cardiovascular problems and to restore oxygen levels in his blood.
Sources close to the Forza Italia party leader and media mogul said Berlusconi had a quiet night and was conscious.
The severe oxygenation problems reportedly putting pressure on Berlusconi’s cardiovascular system and lungs may be related to problems with his spinal cord, the sources added.
Berlusconi – whose party is currently part of the ruling coalition led by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni – has had a pacemaker implanted since 2006.
The former Italian prime minister has had several health problems in recent years, the most recent of which was when he contracted covid-19 in 2020, an experience that put him in hospital for 10 days.
Last week he was in San Raffaele for tests and when he left, he thanked “anyone who wanted to send a thought or a sign of affection during these days”.
With Lusa
Source: DN
