Former US President George H.W. Bush hospitalized

Former US President George H.W. Bush was taken by ambulance to a Houston hospital after he experienced a shortness of breath Tuesday evening, according to a statement from his office.

The statement said "as a precaution" Bush was taken to Houston Methodist Hospital after experiencing shortness of breath.

"The former president, aged 90, will be held for observation, again as a precaution," the statement said. It did not reveal other details.

The 41st US president had been hospitalized for nearly two months back in late 2012 and early 2013 for a bronchitis-related cough and other health issues. He was briefly put under intensive care then and was discharged from the hospital later.

Bush suffers from vascular Parkinsonism, a form of Parkinson's disease which has forced him to use a motorized scooter or wheelchair since at least 2012.

In June, the elder Bush celebrated his 90th birthday by taking to the air for a tandem skydiving jump near his summer home in Maine.