Understanding Aphasia: Causes, Symptoms, and Management

What is it?

Aphasia is an inability to understand or create language due to damage in specific language areas of the brain. Depending on the specific region that suffered damage, a person can have trouble reading, writing, speaking, and understanding language. Almost all patients with aphasia have trouble finding the right words. Causes for aphasia may include stroke, trauma, brain surgery, brain tumor, brain infection or with other neurological conditions, such as dementia. Some people will regain the ability that was damaged, while others will have permanent difficulties.

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Additional names

This group contains additional names:
- Gerstmanns syndrome
- Akinetic mutism

Signs & symptoms

Symptoms may include troubles in: naming objects, places, events, people, finding the right words,understanding conversations,reading, and spelling. Some people may put together words in the wrong order, speak only in short phrases or single words, make up words, trouble repeating others and using numbers or solving math questions.

Diagnosis

Aphasia is diagnosed in a physical examination, and other tests may be done to look for the source of the problem- head CT or MRI.

Treatment

Aphasia treatment depends on the underlying cause. Rehabilitation is typically done with a speech-language pathologist and sometimes alternative communicating ways are taught.

☝️ This is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Please consult with your physician before making any medical decision.

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Source of Information - We analyze big data of more than 23 million patients de-identified medical records from the following sources:

National Institution of Health ∙ World Health Organization ∙ University of Illinois hospital