FILE - Former New York City Mayor Ed Koch (Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images for Bryan Cave LLP)

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — Ed Koch was placed in intensive care on Thursday.

The 88-year-old former mayor of New York City is battling a build-up of fluid in his lungs and legs, CBS 2’s Dick Brennan reported.

Koch, always a fighter, is battling a lung ailment, and doctors at New York Presbyterian are taking a wait-and-see approach.

“I spoke to the Mayor this morning, and he was feeling discomfort,” Koch spokesman George Arzt said.