The question of exactly what Vladimir Ilyich Lenin was suffering from and what caused his death at the age of 53 remains a subject of sharp debates among historians and doctors. The official diagnosis adopted during the Soviet period stated that the cause of death was widespread cerebral atherosclerosis, leading to impaired blood supply and hemorrhage. However, there are several alternative versions that are actively discussed in scientific and journalistic literature.

Official Diagnosis and Its Features

According to the official conclusion, Lenin suffered from severe cerebral atherosclerosis. The disease was accompanied by a number of serious complications. In 1921, he suffered his first stroke, after which the right side of his body became paralyzed. Despite this, he managed to recover partially.

In 1922-1923, the leader's condition worsened. Throughout 1923, he experienced several more strokes, which led to progressive loss of speech and mobility. In the last years of his life, he was almost immobilized. He died on January 21, 1924. Autopsy confirmed severe damage to the brain vessels, which became the basis for the official diagnosis.

Alternative Version: Neurosyphilis

The most serious and discussed alternative is the version that Lenin suffered from neurosyphilis — a complication of syphilis that affects the nervous system and the brain. This viewpoint is actively promoted by neurologist Valery Novoselov, who studied the archival \"Diary of the History of the Disease of V.I. Ulyanov\".

According to his research, the diagnosis of \"neurosyphilis\" is not his modern hypothesis. He claims that the treating doctors of Lenin, including such leading specialists as Max Nonne and Alexei Kozhevnikov, diagnosed this disease from the very beginning of treatment in May 1922 and conducted the corresponding therapy. The treatment included the use of heavy metal drugs — bismuth, mercury, and arsenic, which was a standard practice for combating syphilis at that time.

Novoselov notes that the word \"arteriosklerosis\" (Arteriosklerose) was written in the official diagnosis, not \"atherosclerosis,\" and he believes that this diagnosis was formulated specifically to hide the true nature of the disease, which was associated with political reputational risks. However, this viewpoint is not universally accepted.

Counterarguments and the Position of the Brain Institute

Advocates of the official version point to a number of facts that cast doubt on the diagnosis of neurosyphilis. Academician Sergey Ilyarionov, director of the Brain Institute of the Scientific Center of Neurology and Neurosciences, where Lenin's brain is stored, categorically rejects the syphilis version. He claims that Lenin had an atypical atherosclerosis caused by genetic characteristics.

Moreover, Novoselov acknowledges that it is almost impossible to conduct a DNA test for syphilis from the preserved tissues of Lenin due to their extremely poor condition. Two years of treatment with heavy metals had a destructive effect on the tissues, and subsequent long-term storage in formalin and other reagents makes the samples unsuitable for modern analyses.

Other Versions and Lack of Consensus

In addition to the two main versions, there are other assumptions. At different times, hypotheses about poisoning (based on the fact that no toxicological examination was conducted, and he experienced convulsive seizures before his death, unlike a stroke) were expressed. Also, versions about the consequences of the injury received in 1918 and about general exhaustion of the body due to colossal loads were put forward.

Today, none of the versions has absolute confirmation. The mystery of Lenin's illness and death remains one of the unsolved riddles of history, where complex political, medical, and personal circumstances converge.

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