JERUSALEM, Aug. 15 (UPI) -- Former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's condition has deteriorated and he has contracted double pneumonia, officials at Sheba Medical Center said.
Sheba spokeswoman Anat Dolev said the 78-year-old former leader, who has been comatose since January, has also shown a deterioration in brain function and decreased urine output, both signs of deteriorating health, Ha'aretz reported Tuesday.
Dolev said doctors were using broad-spectrum antibiotics and steroids to treat Sharon, who fell into a coma after suffering a massive stroke Jan. 4.
After his stroke, the former prime minister underwent multiple brain surgeries at Jerusalem's Hadassah University Hospital to stop cerebral hemorrhaging. He was transferred to a long-term care facility at Sheba, but was rushed into intensive care for dialysis July 26 when his kidneys began to fail.
Sharon, who had been prime minister since 2001, was succeeded by his deputy, Ehud Olmert, in May.