Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro was recovering in hospital on Thursday after being rushed in for treatment for an intestinal obstruction, but was unlikely to need surgery, his son Flavio said.

The president’s office said in a statement that Mr Bolsonaro was doing better and that his clinical and laboratory results were “satisfactory”, but it gave no expected discharge date.

The statement, signed by the president’s doctors, did not mention surgery.

Mr Bolsonaro, 66, was admitted to a hospital in Brasilia, the capital city, on Wednesday with abdominal pain, and following days suffering chronic hiccups.

He was transferred to a Sao Paulo hospital later in the day after consulting with the surgeon who operated on him in 2018 after Mr Bolsonaro was stabbed in the abdomen on the campaign trail.

His doctors said they needed to do further examinations to evaluate whether there was a need for emergency surgery.

Mr Bolsonaro has appeared to struggle with speaking at times in recent weeks and said he suffered from hiccups that could go uninterrupted for days.

His hospitalisation occurs at a moment that pressure has been mounting. A congressional committee is investigating his administration’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic, with witnesses alleging corruption in the acquisition of Covid-19 vaccines, and recent polls have shown low approval ratings and indications that he risks losing next year’s election.