Patient education: Aphasia (The Basics)

What is aphasia? — Aphasia is the medical term for when a person stops being able to use or understand language. It happens when the brain is damaged in some way, usually because of a stroke.

There are different types of aphasia. Some types affect a person's ability to understand speech or to read. Other types affect a person's ability to form speech or to write. There are many different types of aphasia. Just a few examples are listed below.

●Broca's aphasia (also called "non-fluent aphasia" or "expressive aphasia") – People with this type of aphasia can understand a lot of what is said but they have trouble speaking and writing.

●Wernicke's aphasia (also called "fluent aphasia") – People with this type of aphasia can form speech but have trouble understanding it. They often produce a lot of speech that doesn't make sense and sometimes use made-up words. Doctors sometimes call this "word salad."

●Global aphasia – People with global aphasia cannot speak or understand written or spoken language.

●Anomic aphasia – People with this type of aphasia have trouble naming specific objects. They might still be able to speak and use verbs, but they cannot recall what different things are called.

●Alexia – People with this type of aphasia lose the ability to read. They cannot understand written words. Most people who have this problem have other problems understanding language, too. Alexia does not usually happen on its own.

The type of aphasia a person develops depends a lot on which portion of the brain is damaged.

What causes aphasia? — The most common cause of aphasia is a stroke. But other types of brain damage can cause aphasia, too. For example, people can develop aphasia after a head injury or because of a brain tumor. There is also a disorder that gradually damages the brain over time and causes a type of aphasia called "primary progressive aphasia."

Sometimes, people have episodes of aphasia that last from a few minutes to several hours. These can be caused by a migraine, seizure, or a problem similar to a stroke called a "transient ischemic attack." If you have aphasia that lasts for a short time and then goes away, tell your doctor or nurse right away. This can be a sign of a serious problem in the brain.

Will I need tests? — Yes. If you have aphasia, your doctor will do tests to find out exactly what parts of language you have trouble with. They will test your ability to:

●Speak and understand speech

●Read and write

●Repeat tricky words or phrases

●Solve riddles or word problems

●Describe scenes or name objects

You might also need imaging tests, such as MRIs or CT scans, to check what parts of your brain were affected by your stroke (or whatever is causing your aphasia). Imaging tests create pictures of the inside of the body.

Will I regain my ability to use or understand language? — People with aphasia can often re-learn how to speak or at least how to communicate to some degree.

If you develop aphasia, you will probably need to work with a speech and language therapist. They can give you exercises to do to help you recover.

What are the chances of a full recovery from aphasia? — The chances of making a full recovery depend on a lot of factors, such as:

●How much of the brain was damaged and what caused the damage

●What part of the brain was damaged

●How soon the person was treated following the damage

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