Britain's
Queen Elizabeth II was discharged Monday from a London hospital, where
she was treated for symptoms of gastroenteritis.
The
86-year-old monarch had been taken to King Edward VII's Hospital on
Sunday morning "as a precautionary measure," a Buckingham Palace
spokesman said, speaking with customary anonymity.
The queen smiled as she left the hospital Monday.
It
was the first time the queen had been hospitalized in a decade. Her
official engagements for the week were postponed or canceled Sunday.
Elizabeth
had already canceled a planned trip to Wales on Saturday after showing
symptoms of the illness, Buckingham Palace said.
Gastroenteritis
is an inflammation of the lining of the stomach and intestines. Though
commonly known as "stomach flu," it is not caused by the influenza
virus, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The
illness is usually caused by a virus and passed from person to person,
said Dr. Corey Siegel, a gastroenterologist and professor at Dartmouth
College's Geisel School of Medicine. But it can also be caused by
bacteria, either foodborne or personally transmitted, he said.
The
bug usually has to run its course. But doctors often give hospitalized
elderly patients intravenous fluids to prevent dehydration, which can
lead to kidney problems, Siegel said.
Elizabeth
celebrated her 60th anniversary on the throne in 2012 and turns 87 in
April. She was last hospitalized in 2003 for knee surgery.
Her
husband, the 92-year-old Prince Philip, was hospitalized three times
between December 2011 and August 2012 -- once for treatment of a blocked
coronary artery and twice for a bladder infection.
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