WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson, a Georgia Republican, disclosed on Wednesday that he was in the early stages of Parkinson's disease, saying that the neurological disorder had not impeded his work and that he would run for re-election in 2016.
"My main symptoms are the stiffness in my left arm and a slowed, shuffling gait," Isakson said in a statement.
"I am busier and have more responsibility today than ever before in my political career, and I couldn't be happier about that," he said.
Isakson, 70, took office in 2005 and previously served in the U.S. House of Representatives. He leads the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs and the ethics panel.
In the statement, Isakson said he went to see a neurologist in 2012 because of stiffness in his left arm. In 2013, he was diagnosed with Parkinson's, a slowly progressing condition characterized by motor issues such as shaking or slow movement, according to the American Parkinson Disease Association.
Isakson does not currently have the best-known symptom, tremors, his statement said. The disease can lead to memory problems in its later stages.
Isakson said he had gone through physical therapy, exercises twice a day and takes two medications for the disease. He released a statement from his neurologist that said Isakson showed mild symptoms and was "fully capable" of carrying out his duties in the Senate.
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell put out a statement of support on Wednesday, saying "this diagnosis will not slow him down one bit."
Isakson ran unopposed in the 2010 Republican primary and won re-election fairly easily. He said last year that he would seek another six-year term in the November 2016 elections.