Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's blood pressure was found to rise when his younger son spoke to him at his bedside, one of his doctors said on Wednesday.

"He (Sharon) didn't open his eyes, but when Gilad (Sharon's son) spoke to him ... his blood pressure rose immediately," Umanski told Israel Channel 2 TV, according to local newspaper Ha'aretz.

When asked about media reports that there had been serious errors in Sharon's medical treatment, Umanski said that there had been no such errors to his best knowledge, said the report.

Ha'aretz carried a report on Tuesday, which said that doctors did not know Sharon suffered from an undiagnosed vascular brain disorder that can be worsened by the blood thinners he was taking following a minor stroke in December.

The daily said the brain disorder, called cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA), makes Sharon susceptible to hemorrhage and has been diagnosed by brain scans only last week.

Earlier, Dr. Jose Cohen, another of Sharon's neurosurgeons, told Israel Channel 1 TV that Sharon has remained in danger despite latest slight improvements, and might have to stay in hospital for months.

Jerusalem's Hadassah hospital where Sharon is being treated announced on Wednesday afternoon that the prime minister continued showing slight improvement in his condition but remained under slight sedation.

Doctors had said that they would by Wednesday evening halt the sedatives that have kept Sharon in a medically induced coma for the past week.

The 77-years-old Sharon has been in improvements ever since Monday, reacting to pain stimuli in both sides of his body, but doctors cautioned that the extent of damage to his brain can be fully assessed only when he completely wakes up, which might mean days.

Sharon's sudden grave ailment has been captivating worldwide attention, especially in the Middle East where he has been a dominant political figure over years.

Medical experts say even if the ex-general survives, he is unlikely to return to politics.

The very possible absence of Sharon who has been prime minister since 2001 has cast uncertainty to the March 28 Israeli general elections and the prospects of the Mideast peace process.

Source: Xinhua