Katie Couric reveals transient global amnesia diagnosis: What to know
Veteran journalist Katie Couric is opening up about a recent health scare after experiencing several hours of sudden memory loss, an episode doctors later diagnosed as transient global amnesia, a condition that causes temporary memory loss.
In a recent Substack post, Couric, 69, said she was briefly hospitalized after losing several hours of memory while attending the Aspen Ideas Festival in Colorado on June 27.
Couric wrote that she remembers events that day until "about noon," but everything through "at least 7 p.m." remains "a big, black hole." Although she participated in two panel discussions that afternoon, she has no memory of what happened.
Her husband, John Molner, said he noticed she appeared "weak and dizzy" after her final panel. At the hospital, doctors evaluated Couric for a possible stroke after she had trouble recalling the date, the president and the names of some family members. An MRI showed no evidence of a stroke, and doctors diagnosed her with transient global amnesia.
"While this was a freaky occurrence, it could have been much more serious," Couric wrote. "So ultimately, I'm relieved -- even though several hours of a Saturday in June will always be missing for me."
Here's what to know about transient global amnesia.
What is transient global amnesia?
Transient global amnesia is a sudden episode of temporary memory loss that typically lasts between one and 24 hours, according to an online library available on the National Library of Medicine.
The condition most commonly affects adults between ages 50 and 70.
People experiencing transient global amnesia remain awake and alert but are unable to form new memories. They may repeatedly ask the same questions and temporarily lose memories from the hours leading up to the episode.
The exact cause of transient global amnesia remains unknown. However, people with migraines, hyperlipidemia, or high cholesterol, and heart disease may have an increased risk of experiencing the condition, according to research published in PubMed.
Is there treatment?
There is no specific treatment for transient global amnesia. Symptoms typically resolve on their own within 24 hours, and most people recover completely without lasting complications.
Couric wrote that she wondered whether altitude, dehydration, stress or lack of sleep may have contributed to her episode, but said "the cause seems to be as mysterious as the brain itself."
Transient global amnesia is typically diagnosed only after more serious causes of sudden memory loss have been ruled out, according to the online library.
