One of the disorders that negatively affects the way you communicate is called aphasia. It may cause slurred speech and affect the way a person writes and understands both spoken and written language.
In most cases, people develop aphasia after a stroke or head injury, but it may develop gradually due to a slow-growing brain tumor or a health condition that causes progressive and permanent damage (degenerative). However, the severity of the condition depends on multiple factors, including the exact cause and stage (extent) of the brain damage, overall health, and others.
One way to get rid of aphasia is to treat the underlying condition. Doctors may also recommend speech and language therapy to relearn language skills and ways to communicate. Commonly, family members are also involved in this process.
Symptoms
Sometimes, aphasia is a symptom of another condition (including stroke, a brain tumor, or others). Usually, people with aphasia may:
- Spread in short or incomplete sentences that do not make sense
- Substitute one word or sound for another
- Difficulty finding words
- Speak unrecognizable words
- Not understanding other people’s conversations or what they read
Patterns of Aphasia
Those who develop this condition may have different weaknesses and strengths in their speech patterns. Sometimes, doctors may identify them as different types of aphasia. These include:
- Mixed aphasia
- Global aphasia
- Conduction aphasia
- Transcortical aphasia
- Wernicke aphasia
- Broca’s aphasia
Previous patterns are used to describe how well a person can understand what other people say or read. It is also helpful for doctors to understand how well a person with this condition can read and speak.
If a person experiences an aphasia that develops gradually, doctors categorize it in the following ways. For example:
- Logopenic aphasia
- Semantic aphasia
- Agrammatism
However, there are a lot of people with this condition who have speech patterns that do not match any of the previous types.
If you or a loved one develops any of the following symptoms after a stroke or head injury, seek emergency care. For example:
- Difficulty with word recall or speaking
- Problems with reading or writing
- Trouble understanding another person’s communication
Causes
One of the most common causes of aphasia is damage to the brain, often caused by stroke, blockage, or rupture of a blood vessel that supplies the brain with blood and others. When bleeding in the brain occurs, the cells begin to die, or it causes damage to the areas of the brain that control language.
However, damage to the brain caused by a head injury, tumor, infection, or degenerative process may also cause aphasia. In such cases, people develop aphasia along with other types of cognitive problems (such as memory problems or confusion).
The type of aphasia that develops slowly is called primary progressive aphasia. It often occurs due to the degeneration of brain cells that happens slowly. In some cases, this type of aphasia may develop into a more generalized dementia.
In some cases, people may develop episodes of aphasia. Experts think it happens due to migraines, seizures, or transient ischemic attacks (TIA). A health condition in which blood flow is temporarily blocked to the brain is called a TIA. Those who suffer from TIA may also develop strokes.
What Are The Potential Complications of Aphasia?
People with this condition may also experience other problems because communication is an important part of our lives. It may negatively affect your:
- Relationship
- Job
- Daily functioning
Furthermore, people with aphasia may also experience embarrassment, frustration, isolation, and depression.
Diagnosis
Aphasia diagnosis usually begins with physical and neurological examinations to test your feeling, reflexes, and strength, and listen to the heart and vessels in the neck. When physicians suspect aphasia, it may be due to a stroke or head injury, and they often perform some imaging tests to get more clues about the disease. They often perform an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) or CT (computerized tomography) scan.
You may also be referred to a speech-language pathologist to complete a comprehensive language assessment. It may help confirm the disease and make the best treatment plan for you. Generally, this assessment is used to check how a person can perform the following things. For example:
- Name common objects
- Communicate
- Understand and use words properly
- Answer questions
- Repeat words and sentences
- Follow instructions
- Read and write
Treatment
Sometimes, people with mild aphasia may not need treatment to recover their language skills. In more severe cases, aphasia is treated with speech and language therapies and medicines. These therapies often help recover language skills.
Speech and Language Rehabilitation
This treatment often lasts long periods because language skills recovery is a slow process. In any case, most people make progress but cannot regain fully pre-injury communication levels.
However, speech and language therapy help restore language skills and improve the ability to communicate as much as possible. Usually, this therapy:
- Begins early – According to some research, this therapy is more effective when it starts soon after damage to the brain.
- Commonly works in groups – It is used to make a safe environment for people with aphasia to try their communication skills. Those who engage in group therapies can practice starting conversations, speaking in turn, clearing up confusion, and other skills.
- Use computers – A computer-assisted therapy is often used to relearn verbs and word sounds (phonemes).
Medicines
There are some medicines that are studied for the treatment of aphasia. For example, medicines used to improve blood flow to the brain, enhance the brain’s ability to recover, and others. Healthcare professionals usually prescribe Memantine, Donepezil, Galantamine, and Piracetam. However, more research is needed.
Other Treatment Options
Nowadays, experts are studying brain stimulation as a treatment for people with aphasia. Two treatments involved in research are called transcranial magnetic stimulation and transcranial direct current stimulation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the main cause of aphasia?
Most people develop this condition due to damage to the brain, often caused by a stroke or severe head injury. However, a blockage or rupture of a blood vessel that supplies the brain with blood may also cause the disease.
Can you live a normal life with aphasia?
Early diagnosis and proper treatment (such as speech-language therapy and support from family and friends) often help people with aphasia have long and fulfilling lives.
Is aphasia a form of dementia?
Yes, this is a rare type of dementia that primarily affects language. Usually, the symptoms of this condition worsen over time. If you have additional questions, ask your healthcare provider.
