Football legend, Pele, 82, is hospitalised over swollen body, heart issues

Legendary Brazilian footballer, Pele has reportedly been admitted to the hospital with swelling all over his body and heart failure issues.

The 82-year-old, currently undergoing metastatic cancer treatment, went into the Albert Einstein hospital in Sao Paulo on Tuesday November 29, for an unscheduled visit, according to ESPN Brasil, which describes Pele’s condition as ‘debilitated’.

After being taken by his wife Marcia Aoki and a carer to the hospital, medical staff confirmed his condition of anasarca (general swelling), an edematous syndrome (general edema), and identified ‘decompensated heart failure’, which causes functional limitation of the heart.

It is also reported that his chemotherapy treatment is no longer working. He was also diagnosed with mental confusion upon entering the hospital, where he became restless.

Pele is set to undergo several tests to further assess the organs that have been impacted by metastatic cancer.

The former footballer is reportedly struggling to eat. At the same time, medics are set to look at the likelihood of him having a hepatic encephalopathy, a nervous system disorder caused by severe liver disease.

However, Pele’s daughter Kely Nascimento, who is not in Brazil, insisted there was no need for alarm and that her father’s hospital admission is ‘no surprise or emergency’.

She posted on Instagram: ‘Lots of alarm in the media today concerning my dad’s health. He is in the hospital regulating medication.

‘There is no emergency or new dire prediction. I will be there for New Year’s and promise to post some pictures.’