Clinton has blood clot in head, recovery expected

WASHINGTON - US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has a blood clot between her brain and skull behind the right ear, her doctors said on Monday. However, they predicted that she should make a full recovery.

The Sunday check on Clinton indicated that there is a blood clot "in the vein that is situated in the space between the brain and the skull behind the right ear," her doctors said in a statement.

They noted that the chief US diplomat has not suffered any " stroke or neurological damage."

Clinton is making "excellent progress" in her recovery, said the doctors, adding that "they are confident she will make a full recovery."  

Clinton's spokesman Philippe Reines said on Sunday night that she was hospitalized with blood clot, and is being treated with anti-coagulant.

Reines said Clinton is being treated at the New York- Presbyterian Hospital and she will be staying there for some 48 hours in order to allow her doctor to determine if any further action is needed.

Clinton has encountered a number of health problems recently. On December 15, she fainted and hit her head, consequently sustaining a concussion.

Prior to that, she canceled her scheduled trip to North Africa and the Middle East due to a stomach virus.

Clinton, 65, has said she will step down as secretary of state when President Barack Obama finishes his first term. Obama has tapped Democratic Senator John Kerry as her successor.

A man leaves the NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital where US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was hospitalized in New York, December 31, 2012. [Photo/Agencies]