NEWS: Ariel Sharon Hospitalized Following Stroke

Ariel Sharon was hospitalized following what has been described as a Transient Ischemic Attack due to a blood clot. He is receiving blood thinners to alleviate the condition. He never lost consciousness, despite early reports, but he suffered from impaired speech and motor skills, which reportedly improved over time. Sharon has asked to go home, but doctors are recommending that he stay a few days for observation. Palestinians have been celebrating in the streets by shooting firearms into the air and passing out sweets.




Given Sharon's age, he will be 78 in February, any sudden health issue is cause for concern. Sharon's weight and age are considered to be risk factors for stroke. Also, any sudden shift in power in Israel is likely to reverberate throughout the Middle East. Sharon recently formed a new, centrist party in Israel. According to some Middle East experts, Sharon is critical to the peace process. We should all be rooting for Sharon's full recovery and continued health. Some experts are leery of more hardline figures coming to power at this critical time in Middle Eastern politics. Also, public confidence in Sharon's health could have profound implications for Israeli politics.

Related News Reports:
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Jerusalem Post
scotsman
Reuters


[edit on 2005/12/18 by GradyPhilpott]

The BBC is reporting it as a minor stroke...

news.bbc.co.uk...

The hospital said his life was not in danger.

The Prime Minister's office said he had complained of feeling unwell before he was taken to hospital.

edit:
The CBC also has the story...

www.cbc.ca...

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has been taken to hospital after suffering a minor stroke, two Israeli TV stations reported Sunday.

Channel Two television reported he was taken to an emergency ward in Jerusalem and had lost consciousness.

There has been no official statement from the government or hospital.

Sharon, 77, recently precipitated a crisis in Israel by leaving the conservative Likud Party and starting a new party closer to the middle of the political spectrum.

.

[edit on 12/18/2005 by Gools]

Arik Sharon is not in danger of his life.

According to Israeli TV Channel 1, and contrary to earlier reports from several sources, the PM did not lose consciousness at any point, and even walked on his own into the trauma room. (source)

Deputy PM Ehud Olmert will take over as premier until Sharon recovers.

Riwka,

Fox is reporting the complete opposite based on their sources and local media sources. They say he was unconscious and wheeled in on a stretcher although he has since regained consciousness. I guess it is still too early to know for sure.

In an official statement made some 45 minutes after the prime minister arrived, a Hadassah [ = the name of the hospital in Jerusalem] spokesman told the waiting press outside the hospital that Sharon was fully conscious and was undergoing tests. He said that the results of the tests would be made known later.

"Ariel Sharon was brought here about 8. He has full consciousness and he's undergoing medical examinations," said Yuval Weiss, deputy manager of the hospital.

"The prime minister is conscious. He is undergoing tests. His condition is stable," Professor Shmuel Shapira told Channel 1 television. (source)



[edit on 18-12-2005 by Riwka]

Transient Ischemic Attack.
You mean Transient Ischlamic Attack, right? :

I know this is a borderline pun, perhaps hitting deadly wrong, but I couldn't help commenting it...

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's associates say it is unclear whether he will be spending the night at hospital, after suffering a mild stroke. The decision will be taken by doctors, who are currently waiting for the result of Sharon's MRI test.

At this time, Sharon is said to be functioning well, joking, moving all parts of his body.

Edit: Sharon has to stay in hospital overnight.

[edit on 18-12-2005 by Riwka]

Physicians at Hadassah University Hospital, Ein Karem in Jerusalem said Monday that PM Sharon would remain hospitalized for the next 48 hours for supervision and tests. "Prime Minister Ariel Sharon rested throughout the night. His situation continues to be good. During the early hours of the morning he will undergo a medical examination and doctors will decide how to proceed with treatment," the announcement said

Not that any stroke should be taken lightly, but the situation most of you are thinking of when you hear "stroke" is a CVA, whereas PM Sharon had a TIA, as stated above.

A CVA (cerebrovascular accident) involves a part of the brain losing it's blood supply, usually from a blood clot, and dying.

A TIA (Transient Ischemic Attack) involves the same process, but temporarily, so it causes the same symptoms as a CVA but is not permanent, especially when treated quickly. It's for this reason that they're known as "mini-strokes".

TIA sufferers have to be treated quickly to prevent recurrences or full blown strokes so I'm sure Mr. Sharon will be under constant medical watch for a while.

Physicians at Hadassah University Hospital, Ein Karem in Jerusalem said Monday that they hoped to release Ariel Sharon on Tuesday, after the prime minister underwent a new series of tests, including a CAT scan and MRI, to determine the effects of the stroke he suffered Sunday evening.

The stroke, termed a mild cerebral vascular event, "Will not leave behind any damage or any traces," said Dr. Tamir Ben-Hur, chief of the hospital's neurology department.
(haaretz)

MK Dr. Eldad: Sharon Physically Unfit to Run State

"Someone who is 78, overweight, short of breath and had a stroke cannot run a country." So says MK Aryeh Eldad, the former IDF Chief Physician. Hadassah Hospital doctors say Sharon is OK.

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon suffered a TIA (transient ischemic attack) last night, was rushed to Jerusalem's Hadassah Ein Karem Hospital, and is expected to remain hospitalized until at least tomorrow. A TIA, sometimes called a mini-stroke, involves a brief deprivation of adequate oxygen to part of the brain.

Though a TIA is said not to cause permanent damage, researchers have found that 11% of patients diagnosed with a TIA in an emergency room suffer a stroke within the next 90 days.

www.israelnationalnews.com...


It's time to replace Sharon, even if he had a mini stroke that didn't do damage. He's at the age that the body starts falling a part and his health will continue to go down hill.

He's done......his age and his weight make him the prime candidate for reoccurring attacks. Israel is in no position to appear to have a feeble leader.

PM Arik Sharon has just been released from Jerusalem hospital.

According to a poll conducted by the Maariv newspaper, Kadima would win 42 Knesset seats if the election were held today - one of the highest results recorded since PM Sharon bolted the Likud and formed the party four weeks ago.

91 % of the respondents in the poll said, Sharon's minor stroke on Sunday evening would not influnce their votes in March.

I'm glad to hear that Sharon is doing better, however, statistics show that those who receive emergency care for a TIA, often have a more serious brain attack within 90 days. Sharon's age and weight also exacerbate the problem. I hope that he begins to look after health more carefully.

It has just been announced on MSNBC, as I write, that Sharon has been released from the hospital.

Dr. Ben-Hur (chief of the Hadassah Ein Karem/ Jerusalem hospital's neurology department) said the clot had been caused by a minor malfunction with the heart, which he said is not uncommon among otherwise healthy people.

Sharon looks a bit pale,





but he is smiling. He is likely to chair the Sunday session of the cabinet.



[edit on 20-12-2005 by Riwka]