Explainer: Why is US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin hospitalised again?

WASHINGTON - United States Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin has been hospitalised again and was put under general anaesthesia on Feb 12 to address a bladder issue. It was his second hospitalisation in 2024 following prostate cancer surgery in December 2023.

Here is an explanation of what has been revealed publicly about Mr Austin’s medical issues.

Why is Mr Austin back in the hospital?

Mr Austin, 70, returned to the hospital on Feb 11 due to symptoms suggesting an emergent bladder issue, Walter Reed National Medical Centre said in a statement.

He was placed in the critical care unit after a series of tests, it added, and on Feb 12, he underwent non-surgical procedures under general anaesthesia to address his bladder issue.

The nature of this medical issue has not been fully disclosed.

The hospital said in a statement that a successful recovery is anticipated and that Mr Austin will be closely monitored overnight.

Neither the hospital nor the Pentagon have said whether Mr Austin’s latest health issue was a further complication from his original prostate cancer diagnosis and surgery or was a new condition.

How long will Mr Austin remain hospitalised?

While it remained unclear how long Secretary Austin would remain hospitalised, the hospital said a prolonged stay “is not anticipated”. The hospital also said it is anticipated that he will be able to resume his normal duties on Feb 13.

His official duties were transferred on Feb 11 to the Pentagon’s No. 2 official, Deputy Secretary of Defence Kathleen Hicks. Mr Austin cancelled a planned trip to Brussels this week for a meeting of Nato defence ministers. His participation in a virtual Ukraine defence meeting is also tentative, depending on his health status, officials said.

“The current bladder issue is not expected to change his anticipated full recovery. His cancer prognosis remains excellent,” the hospital said.

Will Mr Austin need to resign?

Mr Austin previously said he had no plans to resign. President Joe Biden has expressed confidence in him, even after the Pentagon chief kept his first two hospitalisations secret – even from Mr Biden.

Was this round of hospitalisation a surprise?

Mr Austin appeared at a news briefing on Feb 1, saying: “I’m recovering well, but as you can see, I’m still recovering.”

At the time, he said he was still experiencing some leg pain and doing physical therapy.

When was Mr Austin’s prostate cancer detected and treated?

Mr Austin learnt he had prostate cancer in December 2023 after routine surveillance for the illness via blood tests to monitor levels of prostate-specific antigen, officials said. 

On Dec 22, Mr Austin was admitted to Walter Reed and underwent a prostatectomy, a procedure that, according to experts, can involve the complete or partial removal of the prostate and nearby lymph nodes.

What were his complications?

On Jan 1, Mr Austin said he felt severe leg pain as well as pain in his abdomen and hip. After a 911 emergency phone call by his staff, an ambulance took him to Walter Reed, where doctors found that he had several issues that needed treatment, including a bladder infection and abdominal problems.

The next day, according to officials, Mr Austin also experienced fever and chills as well as shallow breathing. The medical staff decided to transfer him to the critical-care unit for several days for closer monitoring, officials said.

“Up to one-third of elderly patients hospitalised with UTIs (urinary tract infections) can experience some degree of confusion and reduced awareness of their surroundings,” a researcher from Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre in Los Angeles was quoted as saying on the hospital’s website.

About 15 per cent to 20 per cent of men undergoing prostatectomy develop urinary tract infections during the post-operative period, with the risk increasing with longer intervals between diagnosis and definitive treatment, according to a 2023 study from South Korea.

How common is prostate cancer?

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer, aside from non-melanoma skin cancer, among American men. Overall, about one in eight American men will be diagnosed with it during their lifetime. Most men diagnosed with prostate cancer do not die from it.

The risk of developing prostate cancer varies based on age, ethnicity and other factors. About six in 10 prostate cancer cases are diagnosed in men after age 65, according to the American Cancer Society. African American men like Mr Austin are considered at higher risk of developing it, according to experts. REUTERS