Lula 'perfect' after health tests

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Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva says he is in "perfect" condition after medical tests for a health scare.

President Lula, 64, left a cardiac clinic in Sao Paulo on Saturday saying he was going to improve his diet.

The president was rushed to hospital on Thursday just as he was about to fly to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

Doctors said he had experienced sudden high blood pressure, probably the results of flu and a heavy workload.

After a night in hospital, he rested at his home near Sao Paulo until the latest tests, which were carried out under the supervision of his personal doctor.

Speaking outside the clinic on Saturday, President Lula insisted he was "going to keep travelling" before handing over the reins of power after elections in October.

"I'm in perfect health," he said, adding: "I'm going to improve the quality of my diet."

Statesmanship award

Wearing a jacket of the Brazilian Olympic team, he joked about his aborted trip to the economic forum saying: "If it had been up to me I would have taken some medicine and gone to Davos. But the doctor said: 'We're going to hospital'."

The president had been due to receive the new Global Statesmanship Award at Davos.

He said he had been a little worried about the hospital tests because "the human body is like a car - there seems to be small problem with the door and then they discover lots of things wrong".

After leaving the clinic, President Lula returned to his official residence in the the capital, Brasilia. Aides say he is to resume his work schedule on Monday.