WASHINGTON — Sen. Mitch McConnell said Sunday that he was hospitalised last month after a fall, ending weeks of public speculation about his health and providing the first detailed account of his medical condition.

The 84-year-old Kentucky Republican said he was “briefly unconscious” around the time he was hospitalised and has since undergone a battery of medical tests to determine the cause of the episode. Doctors also treated him for mild pneumonia and later transferred him to a rehabilitation facility, he said.

“Doctors found no evidence of broken bones, concussion, heart attack, stroke, tumours or brain haemorrhaging," McConnell said in a statement.

My doctors have confirmed I didn’t break any bones or have a concussion. I didn’t have a stroke or heart attack. I have no tumours or any haemorrhages," McConnell said, adding that he is "regaining my strength".

“I’m not ready to go back to the Senate yet, but I’m still working with my staff on legislative issues as I recover,” McConnell said.

His remarks came after the reported death of Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina. If confirmed, the absence of Graham and the temporary leave of McConnell would cut the Republican Senate majority down from 53 seats to 51 active members, while Democrats have 47 seats.

Responding to criticism about not giving updates during his recovery, McConnell said people of his generation are often reluctant to talk about the difficulties of ageing.

"It's something that's often difficult to share for people of my generation, the vulnerability of getting older," he said.

In his statement, he included a recent photo with his wife, Elaine Chao, after online rumours had questioned his condition.

Demands for more transparency

McConnell’s office had provided few details following his June 14 hospitalisation, saying only that he was receiving medical care and recovering. The speculation escalated, with Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear publicly calling on the senator to share more about his health.

McConnell, who said earlier this year he will retire when his term ends in January, said he is still committed to finishing out his final months in office. “I still have unfinished business to complete on your behalf, and I have every intention of finishing the job you elected me to do,” he wrote.

History of Health Problems

McConnell contracted polio as a child and has spoken before about the lingering effects on his mobility.

He has had multiple falls this year related to his post-polio syndrome, according to the Office of the Attending Physician. He is in physical therapy, which doctors say aims to reduce the likelihood of future falls.

Medical evaluations found no fractures, heart problems, stroke, tumours or internal bleeding, the physician's statement said.

McConnell was first elected to the Senate in 1984 and has been the Republican leader since 2007, when he left the leadership post last year. He has remained a senator but has suffered a number of public health incidents in recent years, including a concussion from a fall in 2023, two highly publicised incidents of briefly freezing while speaking to reporters, and a sprained wrist from another fall in 2024.