The health of Pope Francis, who was hospitalized with bilateral pneumonia, deteriorated today, the Vatican announced.
The statement said that the pope’s health had deteriorated after a “prolonged respiratory crisis resembling asthma”.
Blood tests revealed thrombocytopenia and anemia, which is why the pope underwent a blood transfusion, ANSA reports.
The Vatican said that it was too early to speak about the prognosis and that doctors “remain cautious”.
The Vatican press service announced earlier that the pope had been diagnosed with bilateral initial pneumonia, which further complicates his treatment.
The head of the Roman Catholic Church has been battling a respiratory infection for more than a week, and on February 14 he was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli hospital.
Doctors confirmed that the pope is particularly susceptible to lung infections because he suffered from pleurisy as a young man and had part of his lung surgically removed.
