Mitch McConnell could be suffering from small seizures, doctors suggest

Two episodes, during which the Republican senator froze and did not answer certain questions, could be symptoms of a serious illness , according to neurologists not involved in his medical examination. care.

A four-line letter, signed by the congressional attending physician and released Thursday by Sen. Mitch McConnell, suggested that his recent periods of silence were related to " occasional dizziness", perhaps brought on by his recovery from a concussion last winter or by "dehydration".

But seven neurologists, relying on what they described as unusually revealing video of Mr McConnell froze in public twice recently, said in interviews on Thursday and Friday that the episodes captured in real time likely indicated more serious medical issues affecting the longtime Republican leader.

Some of the neurologists, while warning they could not diagnose the minority leader from afar, said the letter and other comments from Mr. McConnell's office did not appear to explain why he abruptly stopped speaking at press conferences in late July and again on Wednesday. .

“If I gave this tape to a medical student and it was his explanation, I would fail him,” said Dr. Orrin Devinsky, professor of neurology at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, referring to the account given Thursday by the Congressional attending physician. "Medically, these episodes should be taken seriously."

Neurologists have said these episodes warrant close medical attention and may require treatment to prevent them from happening again. breed. Although several possibilities have been suggested, including mini-strokes, doctors said the seizures seem more consistent with focal seizures, which are electrical surges in a region of the brain.

The senator's aides have not disclosed what type of follow-up care Mr. McConnell may receive. Doug Andres, the senator's spokesman, said Friday he had nothing to add beyond the letter from congressional physician Dr. Brian P. Monahan, who did not respond to requests for comment.

More details on the medical history of Mr. McConnell, 81, including whether he had such off-camera episodes, would also help rule out other explanations possible to these seizures, neurologists have said.

< p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Whether caused by seizures, mini-strokes or something else entirely, episodes like Mr. McConnell wouldn't prevent most patients from working or socializing normally, doctors said.

"Seizures are stigmatized in our society, and that's unfortunate because these are very brief electrical interruptions in behavior,” said Dr. Jeffrey Saver, professor of neurology at UCLA. "Between these rare episodes, which are usually well controlled with medication, people function perfectly normally."

Nevertheless, experts said seizures carry a high risk cognitive or behavioral problems. and may affect older patients differently.

Rarely does the public get such a comprehensive overview of a serious medical event in a public figure as they did in twice in recent weeks with Mr. McConnell. For neurologists, videos like those showing Mr. McConnell from when he seemed to lose the ability to speak are more than just curiosities.

They can help to form the basis of a diagnosis, as homemade videos of everyday patients in standard neurology practices sometimes do.

“They are very useful because you are not subject to the vagaries of someone's description. and you can capture the onset of it, which is especially important for seizures,” said Dr. Anthony Kim, professor of neurology at the University of California, San Francisco.

Details as minute as the direction people's eyes are pointing during such an episode offer potential clues to the cause, Dr. Kim said.