Pope Francis health latest: Vatican issues new statement | World | News

Medics have warned the main threat facing Francis would be the onset of sepsis, a serious infection of the blood which can be a complication of pneumonia.

Blood tests on Saturday showed the pontiff had developed a low platelet count, a condition called platelopenia or thrombocytopenia.

Platelets are cell-like fragments which circulate in the blood that help form blood clots to stop bleeding or help wounds heal.

Francis, who has chronic lung disease and is prone to bronchitis in winter, was admitted to Gemelli hospital on February 14 after a week-long bout of bronchitis worsened.

Doctors first diagnosed the complex viral, bacterial and fungal respiratory tract infection and then the onset of pneumonia in both lungs.

They prescribed “absolute rest” and a combination of cortisone and antibiotics, along with supplemental oxygen when he needs it.

The update on Saturday marked the first time the Vatican has referred to Francis suffering an “asthmatic respiratory crisis of prolonged magnitude, which also required the application of oxygen at high flows”.

Dr Sergio Alfieri, Head of Medicine and Surgery at Rome’s Gemelli hospital, said on Friday that the biggest threat facing Francis was that some of the germs located in his respiratory system pass into the bloodstream, causing sepsis. Sepsis can lead to organ failure and death.

The doctor said: “Sepsis, with his respiratory problems and his age, would be really difficult to get out of. The English say ‘knock on wood’, we say ‘touch iron’. Everyone touch what they want. But this is the real risk in these cases: that these germs pass to the bloodstream.”

He added the pope knows he’s in danger and he instructed doctors to share that detail with the public.