Here’s my Q&A with Katie Couric, covering her recent experience with Transient Global Amnesia, a condition that can be frightening, but is ultimately benign.
Background…
True story: Katie Couric texted me on July 6, asking for a neurologist she could interview. What topic, I asked? She confided that she had experienced Transient Global Amnesia (TGA) while in Aspen. (She has since gone public with this information.)
This was amazing to me. Just a week or so before, Katie and I had finally met in person while at the Aspen Ideas Festival. (We’ve done numerous Instagram Lives and other features on her platforms since 2020, but we’d never met in real life.) And, get this, I happen to have some expertise in TGA, having authored a major review on the topic for emergency doctors. (It was one of my first publications, in fact.)
Katie has long used her platform to educate people about medical issues. Her decision to have her own colonoscopy televised was linked to a sudden increase in colonoscopies in the US, an effect that lasted longer than one year. It’s literally called The Couric Effect. This time was no different. Fortunately, Katie’s latest encounter with medicine was a lot easier than getting a colonoscopy on national television, let alone dealing with cancer.
We discussed what happened to Katie, TGA in general, and how the condition it is different from TIAs. (TIAs are medically far more concerning because they are mini-strokes or stroke precursors.)
One thing that we both noticed is that TGA is probably more common than most people realize. Do you know someone who had it? Have you witnessed it? Have you had it? Share your recollections in the comments section! Also, here’s Katie’s Substack describing her experience.
After a deep dive into TGA, we also discussed the latest vaccine news and the unfortunate attacks on Dr. Anthony Fauci.
As usual with Katie, it was a fascinating and useful conversation that I know you’ll enjoy. I’m tremendously grateful that she made time for the Inside Medicine community!
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