The Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao has claimed that his mother suffered a cerebral haemorrhage after seeing a shoe thrown at him at Cambridge University last year.

Speaking in an online chat on Saturday, Mr Wen said that his mother, Yang Xiulan, an 89-year-old former schoolteacher, was shocked to see postgraduate student Martin Jahnke throw a sports shoe at him during the talk in February 2009. The distress it caused her resulted in a brain haemorrhage.

“She still has difficulties in walking,” Wen said, adding that her vision was also now impaired.

The Chinese transcripts of the online chat were ambiguous as to whether Wen’s mother suffered the haemorrhage when she saw the incident on television or once he had returned to China.

But Xinhua, a Chinese news agency, has insisted that the two events were connected. State media reported on Saturday that the haemorrhage was a direct consequence of what happened in Cambridge.

Mr Wen had been giving a lecture at the West Road Concert Hall when he was interrupted by the whistling and jeering of Mr Jahnke, a 27-year-old German student. The latter then stood up and shouted: “How can the University prostitute itself with this dictator? How can you listen to these lies?”

He was heckled by much of the audience before taking off his shoe and throwing it towards the stage. It missed Mr Wen but landed a few feet away.

At the time, Mr Wen said: “This despicable behaviour cannot stand in the way of friendship between China and the UK.”

Cambridge University’s Vice-Chancellor, Alison Richard, added that she regretted what had transpired. “This University is a place for considered argument and debate, not for shoe-throwing,” she said.

Whether Mr Wen’s opinion will have changed due to what happened to his mother is unknown.

It is possible that a stressful incident such as what happened to Mr Wen could have resulted in a cerebral haemorrhage for someone involved. The bleeding, which occurs within the brain tissue itself, is often associated with brain trauma or a haemorrhagic stroke, whilst high blood pressure can raise the risk of a spontaneous cerebral haemorrhage by two to six times.

The results are often fatal, with the affected area of the brain left unable to function. Impaired movement, vision and speech are other consequences.

Mr Wen has said that he will pass on the well wishes of the online community to his mother.