Ex-PM Thatcher breaks arm, hospitalized

LONDON, June 12 (UPI) -- Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher was hospitalized Friday after breaking her arm during a fall in her London home, her office said.

Doctors said X-rays indicated she sustained an injury to her upper arm and admitted her overnight for observation, The Daily Telegraph reported.

Thatcher, 83, apparently lost her footing and fell, her spokeswoman said.

"The hospital's decided, just to be sure, to keep her in for observation," Thatcher's spokeswoman said. "It's a simple fracture, but bearing in mind who she is, she's 83 and the shock to the system, it's just belt and braces. There is nothing untoward."

Last summer Thatcher's daughter discussed for the first time her mother's struggle with dementia. Carol Thatcher said her mother fights to complete sentences, isn't aware of her surroundings and sometimes forgets that her husband has died, the Telegraph said.

On doctors' advice, Thatcher cut down on public commitments and speaking engagements.