Sonia Gandhi hospitalised

Sonia Gandhi. Star file photo.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi was admitted to Sir Ganga Ram hospital in New Delhi on Thursday. She was suffering from infection of the lower respiratory tract, which affects the airway and the lung.
According to hospital sources, Gandhi went to the hospital on Thursday evening with complaints of breathing difficulty and chest congestion, , reports The Times of India.
"Her condition is stable. She is being monitoring by a team of doctors, led by Dr Arup Basu, senior consultant, chest medicine at the hospital," said a senior official, who did not want to be named.
Doctors said infection of the lower respiratory tract is common in winters and this year the incidence has gone up further due to increased pollution level.
"Most cases of respiratory infection are caused due to viruses. However, tests have to be conducted to rule out the possibility of secondary bacterial infection which can lead to pneumonia," said one of the doctors said.
He added that treatment for this condition involves administering oral steroids and antibiotic.
The Congress president admitted to AIIMS last year also when the Lok Sabha session was in progress to pass the Food Security Bill.
Laboratory and clinical studies suggests that inhaled cold air, cooling of the body surface and cold stress induced by lowering the core body temperature cause pathophysiological responses such as narrowing of the blood vessels in the respiratory tract and suppression of immune responses, which are responsible for increased susceptibility to infections.