WASHINGTON (AFP) Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Former US vice president Dick Cheney, who has a long history of heart problems, was hospitalized after feeling ill and was not expected to be discharged until next week, his spokesman said.

It was not immediately clear whether the latest hospitalization was related to his past heart troubles, which saw the 69-year-old Republican hawk suffer his fifth heart attack since 1978 in late February.

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“Former vice president Cheney was not feeling well and was seen this afternoon by his doctors in their offices at George Washington University,” spokesman Peter Long said in a statement.

“On the advice of his physicians, he was admitted to the hospital for further testing. He is expected to remain in the hospital over the weekend.”

He has had a long list of health scares, including undergoing quadruple bypass surgery and two artery-clearing angioplasties. In 2001, he was fitted with a pacemaker.

Cheney has also twice been treated with electrical shocks for atrial fibrillation, an abnormal heart rhythm that places him at risk of a stroke if not treated, and in 2005 underwent surgery for an arterial aneurysm on the back of each of his knees.

Despite his persistent health problems, Cheney became one of the most powerful vice presidents in US history and has remained on the political scene since leaving office, fiercely criticizing President Barack Obama, a Democrat.