A prominent former leader of the Democratic Party was briefly hospitalized in recent days following a potential health scare that turned out to be a relatively minor issue.

Former President Bill Clinton, 78, was released from the hospital Tuesday morning after being admitted the day before while suffering from a fever, USA Today reported.

Clinton was ultimately diagnosed with and treated for influenza and is expected to be fine once he recovers from the viral infection.

Released after being hospitalized for the flu

In a Monday evening X post, former President Clinton's Deputy Chief of Staff Angel Urena shared the news that his boss had been hospitalized but was otherwise doing well.

"President Clinton was admitted to MedStar Georgetown University Hospital this afternoon for testing and observation after developing a fever," the aide wrote. "He remains in good spirits and deeply appreciates the excellent care he is receiving."

Less than 24 hours later, Urena posted an update Tuesday morning and revealed, "President Clinton was discharged earlier today after being treated for the flu."

"He and his family are deeply grateful for the exceptional care provided by the team at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital and are touched by the kind messages and well wishes he received," the senior staffer added. "He sends his warmest wishes for a happy and healthy holiday season to all."

History of health issues and hospitalization

This is certainly not the first time that former President Clinton has sparked public concerns about his health status, as he has been in and out of hospitals for various reasons on multiple occasions since his presidency concluded in January 2001, according to The Mirror.

In 2004, following complaints of chest pains and shortness of breath, Clinton underwent a successful quadruple bypass surgery at a New York hospital to address significant blockage in the arteries near his heart.

It was noted at that time that Clinton's heart health was likely in part due to genetics, as there was a history of cardiac issues in his family, though he also acknowledged his own partial culpability as he "may have done some damage in those years when I was too careless about what I ate."

Just six years later, in 2010, after again complaining of chest pains, the former president was again hospitalized, this time at Johns Hopkins in Maryland, for surgery to install a pair of stents in his arteries to help deal with continued blockage.

Finally, in 2021, Clinton was hospitalized in California after a urological infection he was dealing with spread to his blood and turned into sepsis, which was successfully treated with antibiotics and fluids.

Clinton credits veganism for keeping him alive

According to the BBC, Clinton has attempted to keep his health issues at bay in his post-presidency years by remaining active and, following his second surgery to install stents in his arteries, making dramatic changes to his lifestyle, exercise routine, and diet.

In fact, he credits his relatively good health to becoming a vegan and once claimed in a 2016 interview, "I might not be around if I hadn't become a vegan. It's great."