Hillary Clinton releases new medical information in bid to quell pneumonia controversy

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Hillary Clinton’s campaign has released further information about her health in an attempt to defuse the controversy around the candidate’s recent pneumonia diagnosis.

In a statement, Ms Clinton’s physician Dr Lisa Bardack said a physical exam conducted on Wednesday was “normal” and found the Democratic nominee “in excellent mental condition”.

The former secretary of state received a chest CT scan last Friday, which revealed that she was suffering from a non-contagious form of bacterial pneumonia, campaign officials said. She was prescribed the antibiotic Levaquin and told to keep taking the drug for 10 days.

That aside, Ms Clinton is reportedly healthy for her age, 68, with blood pressure of 100/70 and low cholesterol. She takes a thyroid medication and a blood thinner, Coumadin. “She continues to remain healthy and fit to serve as President of the United States,” Dr Bardack said.

The statement added that Ms Clinton had suffered no long-term ill effects from a concussion sustained in 2012 while serving as Secretary of State – an incident that has since fuelled conspiracy theories about the presidential hopeful’s overall health.

Questions about the health of both candidates have been at the forefront of the campaign in recent days, after Ms Clinton was caught on camera struggling to walk as she left a 9/11 memorial event in New York on Sunday. Only after the release of the video did the Clinton campaign reveal she had been diagnosed with pneumonia.

Asked why she had taken more than 48 hours to disclose the diagnosis, Ms Clinton told CNN on Tuesday that she “didn't think it was going to be that big a deal.”

On Wednesday her Republican rival, Donald Trump, gave a one-page summary of his latest medical exam to Dr Mehmet Oz, for an interview on Dr Oz’s tabloid medical chat show to be broadcast on Thursday.

Mr Trump promised earlier in the week to issue “very, very specific numbers” regarding his health status.

After cancelling several events earlier in the week to rest up at home in Chappaqua, New York, Ms Clinton was set to return to the campaign trail on Thursday with a rally in Greensboro, North Carolina.