WASHINGTON — Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, hospitalized Saturday after apparently suffering a seizure at his home on Cape Cod, Mass., was awake and joking with family members later in the day, a spokeswoman said.
The Democratic senator is undergoing tests at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston to determine the cause of the seizure.
Kennedy, 76, was rushed from the family compound at Hyannis Port to Cape Cod Hospital at 9 a.m. He was evaluated there, then airlifted to Massachusetts General.
Kennedy suffered what first appeared to be “stroke-like symptoms,” a Democratic Party aide said. The longtime senator experienced one seizure in Cape Cod and a second while aboard the helicopter flight to Boston, The Boston Globe reported.
By the end of the day, however, Kennedy was “conscious, talking, joking with family,” said Kennedy’s spokeswoman, Stephanie Cutter.
Family members said they remained “guardedly optimistic” that he would recover soon, and hospital officials said he was resting comfortably. Relatives gathered at the hospital, joined by Kennedy’s Massachusetts colleague, Sen. John Kerry.
The hospital canceled plans for a news briefing. Experts said a seizure is caused by the abnormal firing of neurons in the brain, producing an excess of electrical activity.
Although frequently thought to lead to a loss of consciousness or convulsions, seizures can produce symptoms as mild as numbness, nausea or a sensation of fear. Many of those symptoms also are associated with stroke, making it difficult at times to distinguish between the two.
Nearly everybody is at some risk of seizures, according to Dr. Marc Nuwer of UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine. They can be triggered by sleep deprivation, stress, alcohol consumption or medications.
It is unlikely that Kennedy will suffer any long-lasting aftereffects. But Nuwer said he will probably have a headache and a sore body for several days, “like he ran a marathon.”
Kennedy underwent surgery in October to clear his left carotid artery in an attempt to prevent a future stroke, and his colleagues and family members said he recovered well and soon returned to work.
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