Thailand's Queen Sirikit hospitalized with bronchitis

Thailand's Queen Sirikit, wife of reigning monarch King Bhumibol Adulyadej, was admitted Sunday to a hospital where she was being treated for bronchitis and a cold, the palace announced.

In a statement broadcast on television and radio, the palace said the 75-year-old queen had been admitted to Bangkok's Chulalongkorn Hospital because she was suffering from a fever and a bad cough.

She was diagnosed with a cold and bronchitis, and will undergo tests and remain under observation in hospital for several days, it said.

In 2006, the queen underwent surgery for cataracts and other eye problems, forcing her to refrain from public activities for an extended period of rehabilitation.

Last year, King Bhumibol was hospitalized for more than three weeks for symptoms of a stroke and a colon infection. His elder sister, Princess Galyani Vadhana, died at age 84 in January, seven months after being diagnosed with abdominal cancer.

The health of the 80-year-old king, who has reigned since 1946, is a constant concern. A constitutional monarch who is the world longest serving head of state, he has a history of heart trouble and was operated on in 2006 for a spinal problem.