Bradley reports new irregular heartbeat episode
January 29, 2000
Web posted at: 4:22 a.m. EST (0922 GMT)
NEWPORT, New Hampshire (CNN) -- Democratic presidential
candidate Bill Bradley said Friday he experienced another
episode of atrial fibrillation this week, his
fifth in a month.
The 56-year-old former New Jersey senator told reporters at a
news conference Friday about the latest bout of irregular
heartbeat, which he said occurred "three or four days ago"
and lasted about two hours. He declined to comment further,
as did aides.
Bradley's comments came as he and other presidential
contenders campaigned for next Tuesday's New Hampshire
primary, the first in the nation. Bradley has trailed Vice
President Al Gore in recent polls, and Gore beat him by a 2-1
margin in the Iowa Caucuses on Monday.
At a news conference January 20 in Iowa, Bradley said he
would announce any incidents of atrial fibrillation that
require medical treatment. At that time, he said he had
experienced irregular heartbeat on December 27 or 28; on
January 6, January 9 and January 16, none of which required
medical attention.
He first revealed the condition December 10, when an episode
prompted him to cancel several campaign events in California.
He said he was first diagnosed with the condition in 1996.
Atrial fibrillation is a condition shared by 2 million
Americans, including President George Bush, while he was in
the White House. The condition is a type of irregular
heart rhythm in which the upper chambers of the heart -- the
atria -- cause the heart to pump blood inefficiently.
People who suffer from the condition are more prone to blood
clots that can lead to strokes, doctors say.
Bradley, a college and pro basketball star before he got into
politics, has said that in his case it's been more of a
"nuisance" than anything else and has not affected his
campaigning.
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