ARGENTINA: FOOTBALL / SOCCER - Argentina's Maradona rehospitalized and transferred to private clinic

Argentine soccer great Diego Maradona returned to hospital with abdominal pain on Friday (April 13), two days after being released from two weeks of treatment for alcohol abuse and liver problems. Maradona was taken into the intensive ward of a provincial Buenos Aires hospital early on Friday morning, and then later moved to the private Sanatorio de los Arcos clinic in the capital. Doctors who are treating the soccer star say they still need to run more tests to decide whether Maradona should be sent home or be rehospitalized, but confirm that he is not in serious danger. "Diego Maradona was brought into this clinic in an ambulance of the district of Ezeiza. He is presenting at this moment with strong abdominal pain," Ezeiza hospital director Oscar Cicco said. "I would not say that pancreatitis has been totally ruled out, we will have to keep examining him. If his charts are normal today, as the hours pass they could drop to normal. So, the liver situation, apparently is under control because the transaminases (liver enzymes) that are elevated, are not so elevated as to think it is a case of liver deficiency, for example," he added. The country's beloved soccer legend has had a string of health problems since he retired 10 years ago. In 2004, Maradona came close to death with heart problems associated with cocaine abuse. While in 2005, he had a stomach stapling operation to fight obesity. His health gets blanket media coverage at home, complete with news conferences by panels of doctors. Maradona had left hospital on Wednesday, saying he was totally recovered from alcohol-induced hepatitis and pledging to follow doctors' orders not to drink. At the time, he said nothing would stop him from going to Sunday's match between his old team Boca Juniors and archrival River Plate. Maradona led Argentina to its second World Cup victory in 1986.

ITN Source | April 14, 2007

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