Weeks after his sudden hospitalization sparked widespread online speculation, Sen. Mitch McConnell has publicly revealed what led to his absence from the U.S. Senate. In an open letter to Kentuckians, McConnell said he was briefly unconscious after suffering a fall at home, an incident he attributed to complications from the post-polio condition he has lived with since childhood. He said doctors ruled out a heart attack, stroke, concussion, tumor, or hemorrhage, though he developed a mild case of pneumonia during his hospital stay.

The veteran Republican senator from Kentucky has been hospitalized for nearly a month. Speculation about the octogenarian's health has been rampant.

Senator’s office has released only sparse details about hospital stay, leaving fevered speculation to fill vacuum