Ex-British PM Margaret Thatcher breaks arm in fall

[June 12, 2009]  LONDON (AP) -- Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher broke her arm in a fall Friday and was being kept in hospital for observation, her office said.

Thatcher's office said the 83-year-old politician fractured a bone in her upper arm after tripping at home. She was treated at London's Chelsea and Westminster Hospital.

Doctors initially agreed to release her but later decided to keep her in overnight for observation as a precaution because of her age.

Britain's first female prime minister, Thatcher led Britain from 1979 until 1990. She was made Baroness Thatcher and entered the House of Lords but cut down on her workload in March 2002 after suffering a series of minor strokes. Her daughter Carol said last year that her mother was suffering from dementia. She still appears in public at ceremonial functions, and last week attended an event to mark the 30th anniversary of her election. [Associated Press] Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.