Society

Princess Yuriko, great-aunt of Japan emperor, diagnosed with heart failure

Sep 29 (Kyodo) - Princess Yuriko, the oldest member of the imperial family and great-aunt of Emperor Naruhito, has been diagnosed with heart failure, the Imperial Household Agency said Monday.

The 97-year-old princess, the widow of Prince Mikasa, is in stable condition and able to converse and eat. She will be medicated and stay at a Tokyo hospital for two to three weeks, according to the agency.

Her heart's ability to pump blood has been weakening, and the princess will receive treatment to remove the buildup of pleural fluid, it said.

She was originally slated to stay at St. Luke's International Hospital for a week before the diagnosis.

The princess had been diagnosed with pneumonia and admitted to the hospital last Thursday after a monthly health checkup. She had been coughing and showing symptoms of exhaustion for a few days prior.

Source: ANNnewsCH

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