Bill Clinton hospitalized with possible sepsis in California: Former president, 75, is in the ICU

1992

On the presidential campaign trail, Clinton’s doctors said he was in excellent health, but noted that he had allergies, mild hearing loss – which he attributed to loud music and hunting – chronic laryngitis and, at 226lbs, needed to lose weight.

His mother’s side of the family had a history of heart problems, but he showed no signs of concern. 

1993-2001

Clinton, as president, was known for his love of burgers and junk food. Yet he was also seen regularly jogging, and his weight and cholesterol fluctuated.

He said in 1996 his main issues were allergies, hoarseness and his weight – although he was down to 216lbs in his medical that year. 

He was fitted with a hearing aid in 1997, and was told during his presidency to start taking prescription medicines to lower his cholesterol. 

JANUARY 21, 2001

Clinton leaves the White House, aged 54. He said he believed he was ‘in the shape of my life,’ but began experiencing shortness of breath not long after, which he admitted he ignored for too long. 

SEPTEMBER 6, 2004

Clinton undergoes a quadruple heart bypass, at the Vivian and Seymour Milstein Family Heart Center of Presbyterian Hospital in Manhattan. Doctors said he had nearly 100 per cent blockage in some of his arteries when he underwent surgery and had narrowly avoided having a major heart attack. 

FEBRUARY 12, 2010

Clinton, aged 63, suffers discomfort in his chest and is taken to hospital in New York – the same where he had his quadruple bypass. He has a stent inserted into his artery; a fairly common procedure. 

He becomes almost-entirely vegan, in a bid to improve his diet, with weekly salmon his only animal product. His daughter Chelsea marries in July, having told her father to lose 15lbs, and Clinton looks noticeably svelte.

OCTOBER 12, 2021

Clinton is admitted to hospital in Irvine, California, for treatment for sepsis.

He is given antibiotics. 

Sepsis is a life-threatening condition caused when the body releases chemicals to fight an infection.

These chemicals damage the body’s own tissues and organs and can lead to shock, organ failure and death. 

Organ failure and death are more likely if sepsis is not recognized early and treated immediately.

Sepsis infects an estimated 55,000 Australians each year, killing between 5,000 and 9,000 making it more than four times deadlier than the road toll.

The symptoms can look like gastro or flu and can become deadly, rapidly.

The six major signs of something potentially deadly can be identified by the acronym ‘SEPSIS’:

• Slurred speech or confusion, lethargy, disorientation
• Extreme shivering or muscle pain, fever or low temperature
• Pressing a rash doesn’t make it fade
• Severe breathlessness, rapid breathing
• Inability to pass urine for several hours 
• Skin that’s mottled or discoloured  

Children may also show convulsions or fits, and a rash that doesn’t fade when you press it – and more than 40 per cent of cases occur in children under five. 

Anyone who develops these symptoms should seek medical help urgently — and ask doctors: ‘Could this be sepsis?’ 

The early symptoms of sepsis can be easily confused with more mild conditions, making it difficult to diagnose. 

A high temperature (fever), chills and shivering, a fast heartbeat and rapid breathing are also indicators. 

A patient can rapidly deteriorate if sepsis is missed early on, so quick diagnosis and treatment is vital – yet this rarely happens. 

In the early stages, sepsis can be mistaken for a chest infection, flu or upset stomach. 

It is most common and dangerous in older adults, pregnant women, children younger than one, people with chronic conditions or those who have weakened immune systems.