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Subscribe to RSSU.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton reportedly fainted from being dehydrated and suffered an apparent concussion in the incident. NBC's Andrea Mitchell reports.
Updated at 6:45 p.m. ET: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton fainted days ago and suffered a concussion after becoming dehydrated because of a stomach virus, the State Department said Saturday.
"She has been recovering at home and will continue to be monitored regularly by her doctors. At their recommendation, she will continue to work from home next week, staying in regular contact with Department and other officials," the State Department said in a statement.
State Department officials said Clinton, 65, fainted earlier this week, although they would not specify when the incident occurred.
Saturday evening, the State Department issued a statement from Dr. Lisa Bardack of Mount Kisco Medical Group and Dr. Gigi El-Bayoumi of George Washington University:
"Secretary Clinton developed a stomach virus, leading to extreme dehydration, and subsequently fainted. Over the course of this week we evaluated her and ultimately determined she had also sustained a concussion. We recommended that the Secretary continue to rest and avoid any strenuous activity, and strongly advised her to cancel all work events for the coming week. We will continue to monitor her progress as she makes a full recovery."
NBC’s chief medical editor Dr. Nancy Snyderman said Clinton’s exhausting schedule could have made her susceptible to fainting. Clinton is known for her grueling travel schedule and has earned the distinction of being the secretary of state who has traveled the most.
“If a patient has been logging millions of miles a year and is tired and not eating or drinking the right things in a couple of days, a shift in blood volume can cause fainting,” Snyderman said.
This isn’t the first time Clinton passed out after having a stomach bug. As a U.S. senator representing New York, Clinton fainted in 2005 during a speech in Buffalo after complaining of a stomach virus.
A history of fainting could indicate underlying heart problems, Snyderman said, specifically “that the heart is not pumping correctly.”
“Heart valve or thyroid issues can be more common in older women,” Snyderman explained. “The standard protocol would be to have a cardiac workout to make sure her heart rhythm and heart valves are normal. You worry about the heart not beating correctly. That’s a very simple thing to check.”
She said that given Clinton’s past fainting episode, her doctors would likely put her through a cardiac stress test.
The concussion will have doctors “watching her like a hawk,” Snyderman said, particularly if Clinton hit the side of her head. If Clinton hit the back of her head, her brain would be better protected, she said.
Clinton canceled a trip to Morocco earlier in the week because she wasn't feeling well. She was scheduled to be in Morocco to officially recognize the Syrian rebels who have been engaged for nearly two years in an armed battle against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime.
Kevin Lamarque / Reuters, file
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton came down with a stomach bug earlier this week and fainted, suffering a concussion. Here she is pictured speaking during a news conference at Stormont Castle in Belfast, in Northern Ireland, on Dec. 7.
Due to her health, Clinton will no longer testify at a House Foreign Affairs Committee on Thursday on the attack on a U.S. mission in Libya.
"I am sorry to learn of Secretary Clinton's ill health and I wish her a quick and full recovery. It is, however, unfortunate that Secretary Clinton is unable to testify next week before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs on the investigation into the terrorist attack that killed four Americans and left others injured," committee chairwoman Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., said in a statement.
Deputy Secretary William Burns and Deputy Secretary Thomas Nides will provide testimony in Clinton's absence.
"Although I respect Bill and Tom, we still don't have information from the Obama administration on what went so tragically wrong in Benghazi that resulted in the deaths of four patriotic Americans," Ros-Lehtinen said. "We have been combing through classified and unclassified documents and have tough questions about State Department threat assessments and decision-making on Benghazi. This requires a public appearance by the secretary of state herself. Other cabinet secretaries involved should also be held publicly accountable."
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Leave a Comment:
How convenient just before she is to testify. If it really happened why was she not at a hospital for a checkup? This stinks of a Democratic (Obama) cover up.
go back under your rock you sleazy snake
I am sure there is something strange going on here, will we ever know for sure? I hope so. That would expose them liberals to what they are.
Yeah, le'ts go back an interview BUSH on the 12 EMBASSY Attacks and 54 murdered Americans... oh wait, pretend.. BUSH never happened.
How do you know she didn't? And don't you think she might have doctors on her staff who might check her in her room? Geez...does she report to you?
she needs to get a hold of her self, if not healthy a gop white man will win in 2016
The GOP has no chance before 2032 at the earliest.....Hillary 2016 and 2020, Julian Castro 2024 and 2028
hahahahahahahahahahahahaha. Say what must be drunk.
Faint? I wonder if she really did faint.. It seems very convenient for this to happen just before she makes her testimonial under oath. Now it is said she may not be able to make this very important testimony.
This our Govenment, just what the hell happen to this great country???
a$$ wipes such as you ruined it!!
you sound just like an obama nut case. A fool to the END.
And when Hillary walks in TO GIVE her testimony.. then what? Will you cry and whine about something else?
Yeah, what the hell happen to this country. Oh wait, BUSH destroyed it. :)
Well now, won't have to be accountable now, for anything, bump on the head, gee-thats is what the dems do isn't it. Never much up there anyway. Look who she serves under, it is all a joke folks, but who is laughing.
your the joke you piece of sh---it, go back under the rock you crawled out from no wonder you lost your cold heartless selfish greedy, horrible who in there right mind would want to be associated with you, you and the tea party are ruining this great country
Who answered for 9-11? Or Iraq? Or Afghanistan? Oh, wait, I forgot...they do not count.
say what who did?
Thank goodness Obama got us out of Afghanistan--- oh wait we are still there after 4 years of BO's dithering, and no end in sight !
no end in sight? obviously another poor lost soul watching the comic fictional fox news fables and lies, 2014 were out , google it and give up the comic news channel fern
Hillary president...she'll be lucky to be present in 2016...she's been rode hard and put up wet...she needs some private duty nurses...
agree this doesn't look good for her. she needs to slow down and possibly she is too old to run 4 years from now?? biden may be too the dems may be seaching for someone new too just as the gop will be and the gop has suddenly with news become the party with the best canidates, walker, snyder, rubio, christie, bush, ryan ,the young paul, much more than the dems if hillary and biden are too old
We will be the lucky ones when she wins in 2016. She is a wonderful and strong lady....she is in our prayers...America needs her.
Satan needs her. Not America. Hillary is a worthless POS lesbian.
not -
Biden will never be president unless Barack is assassinated or impeached...even the liberal democrats wouldn't vote for Biden...
Hillary had her fair shot and just didn't have a dark enough suntan...
And she will win even ridden hard
Harley -
SSSSSSSSShhhhhhhhiiiiiiiiiitttttttttt she won't be able to walk much in 2016 forget running...too many illegal drugs...and as fat as she's getting I'm guessing congestive hard failure...from all the water build up...
Dee...
Poor guessing.
dee your source? and for 65 she still is quite attractive are you?
Not !
Fernie...
Your wife was not being discussed.
not -
They say the girls get prettier at closing time...you definitely need the barkeep to call you a cab...
The god for guns right wing fakes will be cut in half by then,,,
Not !
Fernie....You are, like always, wrong again
Oh, Hillary how convenient, did Obama help you with your fall. Most people that have concussions usually lose their short term memory and not their long term memory. You should have picked a better excuse. Sad as it might be you are an Obamamite soldier in the field a little longer.
Amazing how someone ordinary could be labeled great by the mainstream media.
President Obama will travel to Newtown, Conn., on Sunday evening to meet with victims' families and first responders in school shooting.
Now, GOP haters, you should be able to come up with some good rhetoric about this!
What does that have to do with Hillary's sugar seizure from packing in those donuts???
Your post says all the response one would need
I'm surprised that they didn't say she had stroke and loss of memory for the month of Sept.
OOPSSS I hope they don't take that Ideal cause we need know if it was her or Obama that killed 4 American Servants.
@!$%#ing priceless dude!
65, fainting, possible heart issues, oh well there goes her 2016 Pres bid up in smoke.
Keep dreaming!
Get Better soon Hillary the country needs you. I wish you the very best.
Get well Hillary. Stay home and give Bill some sex you haven't given him in 30 years.
Bill is unhappy with what you have been giving him, Nick?
I m not going to read the comments on here cause im sure there are many inappropriate comments, and some political junkies trying to take advantage. All i have to say is i have mad respect for this woman, she pushes her self harder then many of her male counterparts, she believes in this country, and has done wonders for it. Even sick, she know the country needs her and she pushes her self through it, sometimes the body cant take what the mind tells it to do and gives in. Thank you Hillary from a non party point of view. We will miss you when you step down.
I sure won't. Hillary is a gold digging slunt.
No wonder the woman drops over............Obama is running her ragged......!!! He "par-tays" in Hawaii (on the taxpayers dime).....while others do his work....!! Typical do nothing....and lives off the freebees....!!
Hillary is doing the same job as Ms. Rice did under Bush, Hillary's job is just a lot easier. After all the killing yesterday, I would think people would wake up and stop bashing people. People wonder why bad things turn around and hurt them after saying bad things about people. Be careful, God is watching.
Probably caused by her yeast infection.
What a disgrace your comment is
It's true, caught it from Pelosi.
I wouldnt let barry the Bengazi Butcher close to Newtown.
I wouldn't let BUSH CLOSER... the man responsible for 54 murders in 12 embassy attacks during his reign of terror..
Oh wait, my bad... we are supposed to pretend that BUSH didn't happen
Forget about fast & furious?????
Forget about the 7K Americans in Iraq? Forget about the 100K Iraqis? Yeah, where are those weapons of mass destruction.
Its -
Forget about Harry Reid, Hillary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi and Joe Biden voting aye on the Iraqi War Resolution...
Forget about, BUSH already committing our troops to IRAQ and then asking for CONGRESS to vote on it. Yep.... Like congress is going to to against voting for our troops after they are in the field.
Yawn. Nice try, but fail
Dee Ten...
And how many lies did the Bush administration put forth to get those votes? Ask Colin Powell.
its -
Why wouldn't they vote against the resolution...Obama gets into office tucks his tail and runs out of Iraq...The democrats wouldn't have been showing cowardice by voting against the resolution...that was already a given...now 4 years later Obama hasn't gotten anything done because of Bush...he can't even get democrats to vote for one of his budgets...what a loser...
Say -
"And how many lies did the Bush administration put forth to get those votes?"
Probably about 5% of the lies Obama told to get your vote...
Obama FINISHED what BUSH started and on BUSHES timetable. Hmmm... You must not pay attention to things or you simply RELY on faux news for your information
How sad that is..... Perhaps you are a success story of BUSHES no child left behind policy.
God bless Hillary Clinton for all the hard work she has done and will continue to do for all of us. Hope she gets better and the needed rest she needs. Some people think this is an easy job until they have to do it. Let God healing hands touch her and get her back to work.
I find it fascinating that the republican senators are so fist pounding angry over Bengazi where, tragically four Americans were killed. We definately need to find out what happened to protect our people and prevent this from happening again. That said, where is all the fist pounding demands to find out why we went into Iraq over WMD that did not exist. THOUSANDS of American and foreign soldiers have been killed, THOUSANDS of civilian lives lost, countless famlies ruined, and the financial toll this has taken on our country. Where is the outrage for this continued tragedy?!
What did we get? Bush and his admin relied on faulty intel. . . end of story. Apparently, that was good enough for Senator McCain and his posse in the case of THOUSANDS of American lives under Republican watch. Lose four under a Democrat and the *&^% hits the fan.
C'mon fellow Americans. . .we deserve so much better than what we are getting out of our government. Republicans and Democrats, it doens't matter, they are all self serving.
Why did we go to war? Maybe to help women that were tortured, raped and then tossed out of buildings by Hussiens sons. These were evil people. Have you forgot?
That isn't why we went there...lol.
CNN will drop the Newtown story and run the Hillary fiasco for a month straight.
that mght be a good thing knowing how evil people have been bashing and bad mouthing people. Parents really do not want to hear negative stuff right now. They lost a child and its not funny. So maybe they should drop the story. People are very stupid these days and evil.
What a joke. Any other person would still testify. Unbelievable, and they get away with this crap. I wonder if she is still able to communicate with her broker and invest in more cattle futures? Her being the expert on everything. What a ding-bat.
No, Blake. They are talking about Hillary Clinton, not your wife.
No, anyone else wouldn't. Keep telling yourself that if you feel better, but it won't make it true.
why would she we have to keep this covered up she cant testify this stops the media from catching her in her lies
Would Hillary be hiding from the Senate Investigating Committee? Just thought I'd ask.
No, she's not newt gingrich :)
how convienent...to bad she bumped her head...lol
Stan...
How hard did you bump yours?
I'm not surprised. She's probably exhausted, having to run interference for obama every day! The poor woman needs a vacation:)))
She doesn't just do it for the President she wares herself out for the country and the people it holds.
melis-a
The country hols us? Are we prisoners here?
Hillary Clinton is a self-grandizing self-centered strutting egoist who cares about one person in the ENTIRE cosmos - HILLARY CLINTON. If that old witch diedm tomorrow, I could not care one whit less.
Ralph...
You mistake this blog...it is not about your wife.