Corrects reference to Cuban leader's 80th birthday in second paragraph to "in August" from "Sunday." Jan 30 (Reuters) - The health of Cuban President Fidel Castro, who underwent surgery for intestinal bleeding, has always been a state secret in Cuba, although it is often the subject of rumors, particularly among critics abroad. The communist leader, who marked his 80th birthday in August, has been dismissive of reports, generally from the anti-communist Cuban-American community in Florida, that he was suffering serious illnesses. "They are always trying to kill me off," Castro has sometimes joked. Castro appeared on Cuban state television on Tuesday for the first time in three months, looking stronger than in previous video footage but still frail. The following are some cases where Castro's health emerged into the open: 1985 - Castro gives up cigars for health reasons. April 20, 1994 - Havana denies foreign media reports that Castro had suffered a serious health problem such as a heart attack or brain hemorrhage. Sept. 1, 1997 - Castro reappears in public, giving a speech under heavy rain, to dispel summer rumors spurred by unusually low public profile that he had suffered a mild stroke. July 1998 - Cuban woman Elizabeth Trujillo, claiming to be a doctor who treated Castro before defecting, says from Costa Rica he suffered from the potentially fatal brain disease hypertensive encephalopathy. Incensed, Castro denies report, which is later determined to have been made up by Trujillo. June 23, 2001 - Two hours into a speech under the sun at a rally near Havana, Castro faints for a few seconds and slumps into the lectern. He is revived in an ambulance and returned seven minutes later to proclaim "I'm fine." He blames the fainting spell on heat and exhaustion. June 29, 2001 - In first open-air appearance after fainting a week before, Castro leads 40,000 in anti-U.S. demonstration and proclaims his health "better than ever." May 14, 2004 - Leading an anti-Bush march in Havana, Castro looks frail and appears to walk with difficulty, leaning on a fellow marcher. Oct 20, 2004 - Castro trips and breaks left knee and right arm after speech on the steps of Che Guevara mausoleum in Santa Clara. Some details are issued: he shattered his knee cap in eight pieces and suffered a hair-line fracture in his arm. Castro refuses tranquilizers and general anesthetic during three-hour operation to rebuild knee with titanium thread, telling Cubans he is fully in command of government affairs. Nov 17, 2005 - Castro denies in a speech that he has Parkinson's disease, as the CIA had said. July 31, 2006 - Castro delegates government functions provisionally to his brother and designated successor, Raul Castro, after undergoing intestinal surgery.
