The health of French presidents is often a state secret.
(Georges Pompidou died from leukaemia in 1974, whilst still in office. Valery Giscard d’Estaing, who was elected after Pompidou’s death, promised transparency, but did not release one health bulletin during his seven years in office. Francois Mitterrand took over from Giscard in 1981, and rumours circulated that he had a serious illness. He did, but he kept secret that had been diagnosed with prostate cancer in late 1981. Jacques Chirac took over in 1995, again with a promise to “give any significant information about my state of health.” but he then refused to publish any bulletins, using his right to protect his private life as the reason. And now Nicolas Sarkozy has been rushed to hospital after being taken ill while jogging.)