Secretary of State Hillary Clinton remained in a New York hospital Monday after being admitted the night before for treatment of a blood clot.
The State Department issued a statement Sunday night saying the clot was found during a follow-up exam for a concussion Clinton suffered several weeks ago. A spokesman declined to give any specifics about where the clot was located but did say that Clinton’s doctors will assess her condition and determine if any further action is required.
Clinton is being treated with anti-coagulants, or blood thinners, at New York-Presbyterian Hospital where they will monitor her through at least Tuesday.
The NY Daily News reported this isn’t the first time Clinton has experienced a blood clot. In 1998, she was rushed to Bethesda Naval Hospital after doctors diagnosed a clot behind her left knee. UH Case Medical Center hematologist Dr. Alvin Schmaier says Clinton has an increased chance of blood clot recurrence if she’s had one in the past.
“If you have had a previous clot, then you are at a higher risk to get another clot,” said Dr. Schmaier on Jansing & Co. He also points out that as people age, their risk increases.
In early December, the Secretary of State picked up a stomach virus that caused dehydration and led to a fall and a concussion. Her illness caused her to postpone her testimony on Capitol Hill in December about the administration’s handling of the attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi. As Secretary of State, Clinton has visited more than 112 countries, travelling nearly one million miles in more than 400 days of travel. Dr. Schmaier says all the travel could have put her at greater risk for clots. “When you do airplane travel, you’re sedentary and we know that each of us are at slightly increased risk for blood clots being on a long plane flight,” said Dr. Schmaier to Chris Jansing. “The Secretary, in doing her job, really did put herself in a situation from all these airline flights that could increase her risk,” Schmaier added. Clinton hasn’t been seen in public since December 7.
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