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Maradona able to move around his hospital room

07 Apr 2007 00:15:58 GMT
Source: Reuters

BUENOS AIRES, April 6 (Reuters) - Argentine soccer hero Diego Maradona is spending more time awake and moving around his room at the Buenos Aires hospital where he is being treated for alcohol abuse, doctors said on Friday.

Maradona, 46, is widely hailed as one of the game's greatest players, but he has suffered a string of health problems since retiring from soccer 10 years ago -- many of them related to cocaine addiction and obesity.

Doctors say heavy drinking is to blame for the former Argentine captain's latest hospital stay, and he has been given sedatives to help ward off alcohol cravings since being admitted to the private clinic nine days ago.

"In relation to the abstinence from alcohol, an improvement can be seen, with a reduction in the need for sedation. That means he's staying awake for longer," a medical report said.

"He's starting to move about the room, accompanied by medical staff," it said.

Maradona is also being treated for alcohol-induced hepatitis and, while his doctors say he has been making steady progress, he will have to stay in the Guemes hospital for at least another week.

Maradona, named with Pele by soccer's governing body FIFA as the two greatest players of the 20th century, had appeared overweight and smoking cigars in photographs taken soon before he was taken to hospital last week.

Maradona was in hospital in 2000 and 2004, both times with severe heart problems stemming from cocaine use.

He underwent drug rehabilitation in Cuba and Argentina before a stomach-stapling operation in 2005 helped him lose weight. Later that year, he went on to host his own TV talk show after declaring himself fully recovered.

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Last updated:Sat Apr 7 00:16:49 2007