Gloria Arroyo not suffering from new disease – spokesperson

Former President and Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is not suffering from a new disease, her spokesperson clarified Wednesday. Elena Bautista-Horn said that the former President is currently suffering from hypoparathyroidism, a disease that was diagnosed by doctors from the St. Luke’s Medical Center in Taguig City last August. “It’s not really new. That was already said before. It’s a rare hypoparathyroid disease," Bautista-Horn said in a text message. Marilen Lagniton, the hospital’s vice president for customer affairs, also clarified that Mrs. Arroyo does not have a new condition as mentioned by one of the former President’s allies at the House of Representatives earlier in the day. “It’s not a new disease… It has already been discussed in previous bulletins. It’s not new but rare," Lagniton said in a phone interview. The two issued these statements after House Deputy Minority Leader Danilo Suarez said earlier in the day that Mrs. Arroyo is suffering from a new “life threatening" condition. Lifelong treatment Dr. Juliet Cervantes, Mrs. Arroyo’s physician, announced last August that titanium implants placed on the former President’s spine have been dislodged due to hypoparathyroidism. Mrs. Arroyo underwent a series of “risky" operations two months ago to treat a pinched nerve in her neck — formally known as "multi-level cervical spondylosis radiculopathy with kyphosis"— that doctors said could lead to paralysis if not treated immediately. According to Mayoclinic.com, hypoparathyroidism is “a rare condition in which your body secretes abnormally low levels of parathyroid hormone" causing low levels of calcium in the body. It is a disease that requires a “generally lifelong" treatment. Bautista-Horn said she thinks there are no experts on the disease in the country—the reason why Mrs. Arroyo’s family is prodding her to seek medical help abroad. Suarez, however, said that the former President expressed hesitation to travel abroad to be treated, citing discomfort she might experience while riding an airplane. Travel authority House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr., for his part, said that he has already allowed Mrs. Arroyo to travel to three countries, including the United States and Germany, about two to three weeks ago. “All of them, I approved because I understand that each one of them really had medical undertones because the medical attention could be available in any of those three places," he said. He added that Mrs. Arroyo deserves “to get the best medical services whether here or abroad." Belmonte gave the travel authority despite the fact that Mrs. Arroyo is on the Immigration watch list in connection with the string of plunder charges filed against her for her alleged abuses during her nine-year rule. Malacañang has already said that it will allow Mrs. Arroyo to seek medical treatment for her condition abroad “as a humanitarian gesture." - KBK, GMA News