Aphasia

It’s common to see people suffering from aphasia after certain conditions or traumas that they have been through, and this condition not only affects the speaking ability but also impacts the way that the patient communicates in general.

Aphasia

Aphasia is a type of language disorder that’s caused by damage to the language center in the brain. Aphasia not only appears as a speaking difficulty, but it also manifests as an impairment in different aspects, such as writing, reading, and comprehending the words. However, aphasia doesn’t affect the intelligence of the patient.

There are different types of aphasia depending on the strengths and weaknesses of the patient in the speech patterns.

Causes of aphasia

Aphasia results from damage in the language center of the brain, and the most common cause for that is stroke.

Other causes include:

• Brain tumors.
• Brain inflammation and infections.
• Head injuries.
• Progressive neurological conditions, such as Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.
• Other causes might lead to temporary episodes of aphasia, such as epilepsy, migraines, transient ischemic attacks, aneurysms, cerebral hypoxia, and certain poisons.

Symptoms of aphasia

Symptoms of aphasia differ depending on the type, and they might include:

• Speaking or writing unrecognized words or sentences that don’t make sense.
• Speaking incomplete or short sentences.
• Difficulty finding suitable words.
• Not understanding what others say or what’s written.
• Aphasia could lead to frustration, depression, and isolation.

Diagnosis of aphasia

• Physical exam.
• Neurological exam.
• Comprehensive language assessment.
• Imaging tests.

Treatment of Aphasia

• Treating aphasia relies on the underlying cause.
• Speech and language rehabilitation is an essential therapy.
• Certain medications might be used.