Brazil's Bolsonaro Faces Ongoing Health Challenges with Chronic Hiccups

Tue Dec 30 2025 06:14:09 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has undergone two medical procedures in three days to address persistent hiccups amidst his ongoing health issues and imprisonment.

Jair Bolsonaro, the former president of Brazil currently serving a 27-year prison sentence, has recently had to undergo a second procedure to treat chronic hiccups. Doctors performed a phrenic nerve block after his initial treatment just days earlier. Despite his challenges, his condition is reported to be stable, and he is expected to recover soon, potentially allowing him to leave the hospital by January 1st.

Brazil's imprisoned former president, Jair Bolsonaro, has undergone a second medical procedure in just three days to treat his persistent hiccups.

Doctors performed a phrenic nerve block procedure on Bolsonaro to block his left phrenic nerve, after treating Bolsonaro's right one on Saturday. The phrenic nerve can be found in the neck and is vital in controlling the diaphragm, which controls breathing.

The far-right former leader is currently serving a 27-year sentence after plotting a coup to overturn the 2022 election.

The latest treatments follow a recent surgery for the former president amid ongoing health complications.

Dr. Claudio Birolini said that Bolsonaro's condition is stable following his second procedure for chronic hiccups on Monday.

Birolini stated he does not believe the hospitalization will be prolonged much longer. Bolsonaro is expected to leave the hospital on January 1 if his recovery goes well, according to his medical team.

Bolsonaro, 70, received his first treatment for recurring hiccups on Saturday, which his doctors said went well. Days before that, on Christmas Day, he underwent successful surgery for a double hernia, his wife Michelle confirmed.

Brazil's Supreme Court allowed the 70-year-old to be transferred from federal police headquarters, where he is serving his sentence, to a hospital in Brasília for his initial surgery.

Bolsonaro had been suffering from recurring hiccups for months, and his medical team deemed it necessary to treat them following his successful surgery.

It's been nine months of struggle and anguish with daily hiccups, Bolsonaro's wife, Michelle, remarked Saturday.

Prior to the hernia surgery, the former president underwent intestinal surgery in April.

Bolsonaro has endorsed his son Flávio to run against Brazil's President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in the 2026 presidential election, following his own loss to Lula in the 2022 presidential race.