Italy's Berlusconi shakes off fresh health scare

ROME, May 19 (Reuters) Italy's former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi today dismissed a health scare at a late night political rally, blaming exhaustion due to a heavy campaign agenda ahead of May 27-28 local elections.

Berlusconi, 70, who had a pacemaker fitted in the United States in December after fainting on stage, felt suddenly weak during yesterday night's rally in the central Italian city of Aquila, northeast of Rome.

''I'm sorry because everyone became worried, but I'm great,'' Berlusconi said.

The leader of the centre-right political opposition said he had been making too many campaign stops, and not eating or drinking enough, saying ''I did too much all at once''.

His cardiologist, who did checks on Berlusconi at his hotel room, put the incident down to a slight case of hypoglycaemia -- when the blood-sugar level dips below normal.

Berlusconi, a billionaire media mogul, confirmed he would make scheduled campaign stops today, including a trip to the northern city of Vicenza.

Some 10 million voters will cast ballots in administrative elections across Italy later this month. It is the first major electoral test for Berlusconi's centre-right a year after it narrowly lost general elections to centre-left Prime Minister Romano Prodi.

REUTERS AGL KN1628