London: WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has a serious heart condition but risks arrest if he leaves the Ecuadorian embassy in London to seek hospital treatment.
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WikiLeaks supporters have told London newspapers that a lack of sunshine has also left the Australian with a Vitamin D deficiency that could result in other conditions such as diabetes and asthma.
Mr Assange already suffers from arrhythmia, or irregular heartbeat, a chronic cough and high blood pressure, reports the London Daily Telegraph.
Officials at the Ecuadorian embassy have asked for permission to take Mr Assange to hospital, but have had no reply from British authorities at the Foreign Office, it is claimed.
Ecuador granted the 43-year-old political asylum in 2012 after the British government said it would extradite him to Sweden to face sexual assault allegations.
Mr Assange fears further extradition to the United States after leaking classified documents related the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.
A WikiLeaks source told British newspapers that he feared a bedside arrest if he sought hospital treatment.
The source said given that the British government had taken away Mr Assange's passport, limiting his options even if he did choose to leave the embassy. "It's not like I can go into the Australian consulate to get a replacement," Mr Assange has said.
