Aphasia

What is aphasia?

From: MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine

Aphasia is a language disorder that makes it hard for you to read, write, and say what you mean to say. Sometimes it makes it hard to understand what other people are saying, too. Aphasia is not a disease. It's a symptom of damage to the parts of the brain that control language.

The signs of aphasia depend on which part of the brain is damaged. There are four main types of aphasia:

• Expressive aphasia is when you know what you want to say, but you have trouble saying or writing your thoughts.
• Receptive aphasia affects your ability to read and understand speech. You can hear what people say or see words on a page, but you have trouble making sense of what they mean.
• Global aphasia is the loss of almost all language ability. You can't speak, understand speech, read, or write.
• Anomic or amnesia aphasia is when you have trouble using the right words for certain things, people, places or events.

In some cases, aphasia may get better on its own. But it can be a long-term condition. There's no cure, but treatment may help improve language skills.

What causes aphasia?

From: MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine

Aphasia happens from damage to one or more parts of the brain involved with language. The damage may be from:

• Stroke, which is the most common cause of aphasia
• Brain tumor
• Brain infection or inflammation
• Brain injury
• Other brain disorders or neurologic diseases that affect the brain and get worse over time, such as dementia

Who is more likely to develop aphasia?

From: MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine

Anyone can have aphasia at any age, but most people with aphasia are middle-aged or older. Most aphasia happens suddenly from a stroke or brain injury. Aphasia from a brain tumor or other brain disorder may develop slowly over time.

How is aphasia diagnosed?

From: MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine

If a health care provider sees signs of aphasia, the provider will usually:

• Test the person's ability to understand language and speech. This includes asking questions and checking to see if the person can follow simple commands.
• Order an imaging scan to see if there's a brain injury and what part of the brain is damaged. Possible tests include: MRI CT scan

If imaging shows signs of aphasia, more tests may be needed. These tests measure how much the brain damage has affected the ability to talk, read, write, and understand. In most cases, the tests are done by a speech-language pathologist or speech therapist (a specialist who treats speech and communication disorders).

What are the treatments for aphasia?

From: MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine

Some people fully recover from aphasia without treatment. But most people should begin speech-language therapy to treat aphasia as soon as possible.

Treatment may be one-on-one with a speech therapist or in a group. Therapy using a computer may also be helpful.

The specific therapy depends on the type of language loss that a person has. It may include exercises in reading, writing, following directions, and repeating what the therapist says. Therapy may also include learning how to communicate with gestures, pictures, smartphones, or other electronic devices.

Family participation may be an important part of speech therapy. Family members can learn to help with recovery in many ways, such as:

How much a person recovers depends on many things, including:

• Using simpler language
• Including the person with aphasia in conversations
• Repeating or writing down key words to help communicate more clearly
• What caused the brain injury
• What part of the brain was hurt
• How badly and how much of the brain was hurt
• The age and health of the person

Can aphasia be prevented?

From: MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine

You can help prevent aphasia by:

• Making heart-healthy lifestyle changes to lower your chance of having: A stroke Heart disease Vascular disease (problems with your blood vessels)
• Protecting your brain from injury: Wearing the right helmet for sports safety, such as when riding a bike Taking action to prevent falls Always wearing your seatbelt and driving safely

Which doctor should you see?

The suggested department for discussing Aphasia is Neurology, with a neurologist as the relevant type of clinician. General physician / Family Medicine; paediatrician for children. Referral depends on symptoms.

This is an editorial referral starting point. The appropriate clinic depends on the person’s age, symptoms, previous diagnosis and local services. The first clinician can decide whether another specialty or a team is needed; a department label does not confirm the diagnosis.

How to prepare for an assessment

Bring a short timeline of the main symptoms: when they first appeared, whether they are constant or episodic, what seems to change them, and how they affect daily activities. Include previous reports, discharge summaries, current medicines and supplements, allergies, and any relevant family history. A dated record is more useful than trying to match every feature in an online article.

Ask the clinician what is already established and what remains uncertain. If a test is suggested, ask what question it answers, what its limitations are and how the result would change the next step. The information here is not an instruction to arrange every possible test. In children, bring growth, developmental and school information if it is relevant to the concern.

• Which nervous-system findings help explain the symptoms?
• Would an assessment of walking, communication or daily function be helpful?
• Are rehabilitation or other specialist services relevant?

Treatment discussions and follow-up

Where the source describes treatments, these are an overview of possible care, not a prescription for an individual. Ask which option applies to the confirmed diagnosis, what benefit is expected, what adverse effects to watch for and how progress will be assessed. Availability, approvals and local practice can differ from the country described in the source.

Before leaving the appointment, clarify the next review date, who will communicate results, and whom to contact if the situation changes. Discuss difficulties with sleep, work, school, mobility, eating or emotional wellbeing when these are relevant. Practical support may require coordination between the treating clinician and other services.

When to seek emergency help

Severe breathing difficulty, collapse, new stroke-like symptoms, a seizure that is prolonged or repeated without recovery, uncontrolled major bleeding, or an immediate risk of self-harm require emergency help. In India, call 112 or reach the nearest emergency department. This is a general, non-exhaustive warning list; it is not a condition-specific triage tool.