WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Rep. Howard Coble (R-N.C.) will remain at George Washington University Hospital until at least this Sunday, his office announced this afternoon. Doctors at the Washington, D.C., hospital told Coble’s office that they still have not discovered anything other than an upper respiratory illness, which has depleted his sodium levels.
The physicians said that bringing the sodium levels back to normal for the 80-year-old congressman is taking longer than initially anticipated, so they are recommending additional treatment and rest at the hospital, Coble’s office said in a statement.
Coble was admitted to the hospital Tuesday after requesting a leave of absence from his Congressional duties on Monday. His chief of staff, Ed McDonald, said Coble had been fighting a cold for more than a week and it had gotten worse when he arrived in Washington at the beginning of this week.