BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand’s 88-year-old King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the world’s longest reigning monarch, is in an unstable condition after receiving hemodialysis treatment, the palace said in a statement late on Sunday.

A well-wisher gestures in front of a picture of Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej at Siriraj Hospital in Bangkok, Thailand, October 10, 2016. REUTERS/Chaiwat Subprasom

News about the king’s health is closely monitored in Thailand, where King Bhumibol is widely revered, and the wording of palace statements on his health is intensely scrutinized.

Strict laws protecting the royal family stifles any public discussion of the king’s health.

It is unusual for the palace to state that the king’s health is not stable. Statements on his health are usually issued after the monarch’s condition shows improvement or when he is recovering from an illness.

Thailand's main stock index .SETI tumbled as much as 3.6 percent on Monday and the baht THB=TH fell to more than two-month lows, following the news.

The king has been treated for various ailments over the past year at Bangkok’s Siriraj Hospital - his home for much of the past year - and was last seen in public on Jan. 11, when he spent several hours visiting his palace in the Thai capital.

Anxiety over the king’s health and an eventual succession has formed the backdrop to more than a decade of bitter political divide in Thailand that has included two military coups and often-violent street demonstrations.

Sunday’s statement was the second health bulletin this month after the palace said on Oct. 1 that the king was recovering after a respiratory infection.

On Saturday, the king was given hemodialysis - a way of cleansing the blood of toxins, extra salts and fluids - which made his blood pressure drop occasionally, the palace said.

Doctors gave him some medicine and put him on a ventilator to bring his blood pressure back to normal, it said.

They continue to monitor his condition closely, the statement said.

“His condition has yet to stabilize,” the palace said.

In 2011, Princess Chulabhorn, the king’s youngest daughter, said in a rare televised statement that the king had suffered a health scare and fell unconscious after suffering from internal bleeding likely induced by stress as a result of a flood crisis at the time.

Laws protecting the royals from insult make it a crime to defame, insult or threaten the king, queen, heir to the throne or regent.</s>Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the world's longest reigning monarch, is in an unstable condition after receiving dialysis treatment, the palace has said in a statement.

The Royal Household Bureau said on Sunday that the 88-year-old was given some medicine and put on a ventilator to bring his blood pressure back to normal.

"The medical team are watching his symptoms and giving treatments carefully because the overall symptoms of his sickness are still not stable," the statement said.

Historically the palace has tightly controlled news about his health and it is difficult to ascertain his overall condition.



In recent months the palace has begun issuing more regular updates that point to a string of major health issues including renal failure.

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Over the past two years he has also been treated for bacterial infections, breathing difficulties, heart problems and hydrocephalus - a build-up of cerebrospinal fluid often referred to as "water on the brain".

He has not been seen in public since January 11 when he spent several hours visiting his palace in Bangkok.



News about the king's health is closely monitored in Thailand, where King Bhumibol is deeply revered.

Anxiety over the king's health and an eventual succession has formed the backdrop to more than a decade of bitter political divide in Thailand that has included two military coups and often-violent street demonstrations.</s>Thailand’s King Bhumibol Adulyadej is in an “unstable” condition after undergoing multiple medical procedures, and is now confined in a hospital, a statement from the palace confirmed. At 88 years old, the king is the world’s longest-serving monarch and is widely revered.

In recent years, the king has received treatment for a number of illnesses, the BBC reports. He has not appeared in public over the last few months, and spent most of the last year in a hospital.

The palace statement, released Sunday night, relates that doctors at the Siriraj Hospital in Bangkok conducted hemodialysis – a procedure that requires inserting a tube into a vein to allow the kidney to filter blood. The medical team also changed a draining tube that was releasing fluid from his brain. After these procedures, the monarch’s blood pressure dropped on occasion, and he had to be put on a ventilator.

The king then underwent echocardiography to check on his heart. While his blood pressure has improved, his general condition “remains unstable” and his condition is now closely monitored.

Public concern over King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s health has been growing due to his prolonged hospital stays. Last month, he was treated for fluid in his lungs, reduced kidney function and a severe infection, following removal of his gallbladder last year, according to CNN.

Thailand’s Royal Household Bureau has been posting updates on the king’s condition on its Facebook page.

The king is seen as a unifying symbol in a country rife with political divisions, violence, and tension. Also known as Rama IX, King Bhumibol Adulyadej is the ninth leader in the Chakri Dynasty. He ascended to the throne on June 9, 1946, after his brother King Ananda Mahidol died from a gunshot wound, and has served for over 70 years. He has been married to Mom Rajawongse Sirikit Kitiyakara since 1950 and is succeeded by Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn, as well as three daughters, the Princesses Ubolratana Rajakanya, Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, and Chulabhorn Walailak.</s>Thailand’s baht headed for the longest stretch of losses this year, as investors sold the nation’s assets after the royal palace said the king’s condition was unstable.

The benchmark SET Index of shares slumped the most in Asia and the yield on 10-year sovereign bonds climbed to a three-week high after the palace said on Sunday doctors are closely monitoring Bhumibol Adulyadej’s condition. The 88-year-old monarch’s health is closely watched, as he is revered by many for what they say has been his unifying presence during a seven-decade reign.

“Thai King Bhumibol is in an unstable condition, according to a statement from the royal palace,” said Christopher Wong, a foreign-exchange strategist at Malayan Banking Bhd. in Singapore. “This could weigh on investor sentiment.”

The baht declined 0.4 percent to 35.040 per dollar as of 10:49 a.m. in Bangkok, according to prices compiled by Bloomberg. It reached a two-month low of 35.080 and is headed for a sixth day of losses, the longest stretch since December 2015. The SET Index sank 2.4 percent to 1,468.63 after falling as much as 3.6 percent.

The palace had said on October 1 the king’s condition had improved following a lung infection. He has been treated in recent months for hydrocephalus—a condition characterized by increased fluid in the cranium—and undergone a procedure to clear narrowing arteries in his heart.

The yield on 10-year government securities rose six basis points to a three-week high of 2.27 percent,

 according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The yield on notes due 2022 climbed four basis points to 1.97 percent, the highest since the bonds were sold in July.

The Thai king’s health appears to have deteriorated further, according to royal medical bulletin that says he underwent a procedure to purify his blood amid other physiological complications related to the heart.

A statement issued late on Sunday said doctors performed a hemodialysis on King Bhumibol Adulyadej to purify his blood. It said the doctors also changed a tube that drains excess cerebrospinal fluid during a two-and-half-hour procedure.

“The medical team are watching his symptoms and giving treatments carefully because the overall symptoms of his sickness are still not stable,” the statement said.

Previous statements have said the king’s kidneys are not functioning properly.

The world’s longest reigning monarch, who will turn 89 on December 5, has been hospitalized for much of the past decade. Because Bhumibol has been king since 1946, there is great concern about his eventual succession by Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn, who has not earned the same respect as his father.

Sunday’s statement said the hemodialysis procedure and the replacement of the tube were carried out on Saturday.

After that procedure, his blood pressure dropped, which was brought back to normal after he was put on a ventilator and administered medicines.

Early Sunday, the king’s pulse was faster and an inspection found higher levels of acid in the blood, the statement said. An echocardiogram found a sharp drop in blood injected into the lower left chamber of his heart as a result of high blood pressure in the lungs.

Subsequently, medicines were administered to enlarged blood vessels in the lungs, which led to the improvement of the pulse and blood pressure, it said.

While Bhumibol is a constitutional monarch with no formal political role, he has generally been regarded as Thailand’s unifying figure. However, as his health has deteriorated, his participation in public affairs has sharply declined in recent years.

Concern about succession has been entwined with Thailand’s political turmoil in the past decade, as royalists have sought to ensure that they control the process instead of certain politicians whose fealty to the monarchy they doubt.</s>The health of Thailand's ailing 88-year-old king has deteriorated and his condition is unstable, the palace said, adding to concerns about the eventual succession of the monarchy.

Doctors performed a hemodialysis on King Bhumibol Adulyadej to purify his blood and changed a tube that drains excess cerebrospinal fluid during a 2 ½-hour procedure, the palace said in a statement late Sunday.

"The medical team are watching his symptoms and giving treatments carefully because the overall symptoms of his sickness are still not stable," the statement said.

Previous statements have said the king's kidneys are not functioning properly.

Bhumibol, the world's longest-reigning monarch, has been hospitalized for much of the past decade. Because Bhumibol, who turns 89 on Dec. 5, has been king since 1946, there is great concern about his eventual succession by Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn, who has not earned the same respect as his father.

Thailand's main stock index fell 2.9 percent on Monday, and the Thai baht sank to a two-month low against the dollar.

While Bhumibol is a constitutional monarch with no formal political role, he has generally been regarded as Thailand's unifying figure. However, as his health has deteriorated, his participation in public affairs has sharply declined in recent years.

Concern about succession has been entwined with Thailand's political turmoil in the past decade, as royalists have sought to ensure that they control the process instead of certain politicians whose fealty to the monarchy they doubt.

Sunday's statement said that the hemodialysis procedure and the replacement of the tube were carried out on Saturday. After that procedure, his blood pressure dropped, which was brought back to normal after he was put on a ventilator and administered medication.

Early Sunday, the king's pulse was faster and an inspection found higher levels of acid in the blood, the statement said. An echocardiogram found a sharp drop in blood injected into the lower left chamber of his heart as a result of high blood pressure in the lungs.

Subsequently, medicines were administered to enlarged blood vessels in the lungs, which led to the improvement of the pulse and blood pressure, the statement said.</s>News about the king's health is closely monitored in Thailand, where King Bhumibol is deeply revered.

The king has been treated for various ailments over the past year at Bangkok's Siriraj Hospital - his home for much of the past year - and was last seen in public on Jan. 11, when he spent several hours visiting his palace in the Thai capital.

Anxiety over the king's health and an eventual succession has formed the backdrop to more than a decade of bitter political divide in Thailand that has included two military coups and often-violent street demonstrations.

Sunday's statement was the second health bulletin this month after the palace said on Oct. 1 that the king was recovering after a respiratory infection.

On Saturday, he was given hemodialysis - a way of cleansing the blood of toxins, extra salts and fluids - which made his blood pressure drop occasionally, the palace said.

Doctors gave him some medicine and put him on a ventilator to bring his blood pressure back to normal, it said.

They continue to monitor his condition closely, the statement said.

"His condition has yet to stabilize," the palace said.

News about the royal family is tightly controlled in Thailand, where laws protecting the royals from insult make it a crime to defame, insult or threaten the king, queen, heir to the throne or regent.</s>The 88-year-old, the world's longest-serving monarch, is now being closely monitored.

On Saturday, doctors at the Siriraj hospital in Bangkok inserted a tube into his vein to enable kidney dialysis to filter the blood -- known as hemodialysis.

The team also changed a draining tube which releases fluid from his brain. Following the procedures, the King's blood pressure "dropped occasionally" and he was given medicine and put on a ventilator.

On Sunday, the doctors gave the King medicine to expand blood vessels around his lungs following an echocardiography -- a sonogram of the heart -- which showed that blood flow to the left side of his heart had reduced significantly.

His blood pressure then "improved," but his general condition "remains unstable," according to the statement from the Bureau of the Royal Household, posted on the King's official Facebook page. Concerns for the much-revered King have been mounting in recent years, due to his extended hospital stays. Last month, he was treated for a severe infection, reduced kidney function and fluid in his lung. He had surgery to remove his gallbladder last year.
Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej, 88, the world's longest reigning monarch, is in unstable condition after a hemodialysis treatment.