Prescription: rest
July 27, 2009
Nicolas Sarkozy left the Val-de-Grace hospital hand in hand with his wife Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, shook the hands of medical staff and waved to journalists before being driven off in an official car.
The French president had collapsed on Sunday while jogging in parkland around the Versailles Palace outside of Paris. His bodyguards were able to help him lie down before he was taken by helicopter to the military hospital.
Sarkozy's office released a statement confirming that doctors found no cardiological or neurological problems with the 54-year-old and diagnosed the dizzy spell as being caused by fatigue.
"The diagnosis is thus one of a near-syncope caused by sustained effort during hot weather, without loss of consciousness, in the context of fatigue linked to a heavy workload," the Elysee Palace said.
Medical staff have recommended that Sarkozy rest. He has cleared his schedule for Tuesday, which was to include a visit to the Mont Saint Michel abbey in Normandy. But he will still chair a Wednesday cabinet meeting as planned.
"L'hyper-président"
Nicknamed the "hyperactive" president, Sarkozy generally follows a gruelling schedule that leaves little down time. He has visited 65 countries in his two years in office and is known for his micromanagement style.
Last week he made a 48-hour trip to New York to meet UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and hear his wife sing. In June, he went to Gabon, Belgium and Guadeloupe. He likes to be seen as being on top of every political situation, often going to the center of action personally. Last year, he dashed off to Brittany to see disgruntled fishermen and to factories to talk to workers facing layoffs.
Observers have said Sarkozy has looked exhausted lately and media reports say he is facing pressure from friends and doctors to slow down a little.
"A fainting spell is never harmless," Pierre Souvet, a cardiologist, told the Parisien newspaper. He added that it was unusual to have such a spell in the middle of physical activity.
"He needs to take care of himself. I hope for him that it will be a lesson for him to calm down," Patrick Balkany, a close friend of the president, told RTL radio. "Sometimes he needs to try a bit less hard and eat a little bit more."
But analysts have said a change in political style would be hard for Sarkozy.
"I don't think he's really going to change his political rhythm, his way of government, of controlling everything, not letting his ministers govern, watching over lots of things," said Mariette Sineau, political analyst at the Cevipof research institute.
Health transparency
France's sensitivity to Sarkozy's health problems, no matter how small, could come from experience with recent presidents.
Francois Mitterrand, who left office at 78, concealed a case of prostrate cancer for more than a decade. He was diagnosed with cancer not long after being elected in 1981 but only revealed the fact in 1992.
The region newspaper Charente Libre wondered if Sarkozy's weekend collapse was actually his first medical problem.
"No one can know for sure as long as transparency about the president's health remains a taboo," commentator Dominique Garraud argued.
jam/Reuters/AFP/AP
Editor: Neil King