Aphasia
Aphasia is a disorder caused by damage to the areas of the brain that produce and process language. As a result, people with this disorder have difficulty speaking, reading, writing, and understanding language, so they cannot communicate well.
This decrease in communication ability can range from mild to very severe (not being able to communicate at all). However, sufferers usually have difficulty finding the right words and putting them together into meaningful sentences.
This condition can occur suddenly after a stroke or head injury. However, this disorder can also occur gradually due to a brain tumor.
Symptoms of Aphasia
Aphasia is a sign of other health conditions, such as stroke or brain tumor. Here are some possible symptoms:
- Speaking in short or incomplete sentences.
- Speaking in sentences that are incomprehensible or do not make sense.
- Replacing one word with another or one sound with another.
- Saying unrecognizable words.
- Not understanding what other people are saying.
- Writing sentences that are incomprehensible or do not make sense.
People with aphasia also have different patterns of strengths and weaknesses. Here are the symptoms of aphasia based on its type:
1. Expressive aphasia
This is also called Broca’s aphasia or non-fluent aphasia. People with this type are better able to understand what others say than they are able to say the sentences themselves.
The sufferer has difficulty getting words out, often speaking in very short sentences and leaving out words. For example, “Want to eat” or “Walking in the park today”.
2. Comprehensive aphasia
People with comprehensive aphasia can also speak easily and fluently in long, complex sentences. In addition, sufferers often add unrecognizable, incorrect or unnecessary words.
3. Global aphasia
This type has symptoms such as poor ability to understand other people’s speech and difficulty forming words and sentences.
4. Anomic aphasia
People with this disorder have difficulty finding words. Because of this difficulty, you may have difficulty finding the right words to speak and write.
5. Conduction aphasia
Also known as associative aphasia, this type of aphasia has symptoms such as difficulty finding words or repeated phrases.
6. Transcortical sensory aphasia
In this type, the sufferer may be quite good at repeating words and phrases. But you are more likely to repeat questions that someone may ask you rather than answer them. This phenomenon is also known as echolalia.
7. Transcortical motor aphasia
Sufferers have strong repetition skills but have difficulty answering questions without having to think a lot.
Risk Factors for Aphasia
Aphasia can happen to anyone, regardless of age. However, this disorder is more common in those who are middle-aged and older.
Causes of Aphasia
The most common cause is brain damage from a stroke, blockage, or rupture of a blood vessel in the brain. In addition, brain damage from a severe head injury, tumor, infection, or degenerative process can also cause aphasia.
Diseases such as dementia can also cause a decline in the function of brain cells, resulting in aphasia. In this condition, the disorder usually develops gradually.
Sometimes, episodes of aphasia can also be temporary. This can happen due to migraines, seizures, or transient ischemic attacks (TIAs). TIAs occur when blood flow to an area of the brain is temporarily blocked.
Aphasia Diagnosis
To diagnose, your doctor will perform a physical and neurological exam, including testing your strength, feeling and reflexes, listening to your heartbeat, and the blood vessels in your neck.
To confirm the diagnosis, the doctor will also perform the following examinations:
- Imaging tests, such as MRI and CT scans. These tests can help doctors identify the cause and areas of the brain that are damaged.
- Communication skills test. In this test, the sufferer will have a conversation, name objects, answer questions, and follow instructions.
- Sensory and nerve function tests. These tests will make sure that hearing problems or nerve damage are not the cause of problems that appear to be aphasia.
- Cognitive and memory tests. These tests ensure that the problem is not caused by a disorder in the sufferer’s thinking or memory.
Aphasia Treatment
Treatment for this condition aims to improve communication and language skills, as well as developing other communication methods as needed.
If the brain damage is mild, aphasia can usually heal on its own. However, in severe cases, the following aphasia treatments can be done:
1. Speech and language therapy
For people with aphasia, this therapy aims to improve their ability to communicate by restoring as much language as possible, teaching how to regain lost language skills, and finding other methods of communication.
2. Medicines
Certain types of drugs can also be given by doctors to treat aphasia. The drugs that are usually given are drugs that work to increase blood flow to the brain, improve the brain’s ability to recover or help replace chemicals that are depleted in the brain (neurotransmitters).
3. Nonverbal communication therapy
If aphasia limits how well you can communicate correctly using words and phrases, you may receive nonverbal communication therapy. Treatment may include:
- An image-based communication system.
- Using communication books for drawing.
- A drawing program.
- Speaking using gestures.
- Speaking directly to improve functioning in areas that affect verbal communication.
Aphasia Prevention
Aphasia usually cannot be prevented. However, the best way to avoid aphasia is to prevent the causes of brain damage, such as stroke, and to maintain the best possible brain health with a healthy lifestyle.
Here is a healthy lifestyle to prevent aphasia:
- Eat healthy and balanced nutritious food.
- Exercise every day.
- Maintain a healthy weight.
- Reduce alcohol intake.
- Keeping blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels normal.
- Quit smoking.
- Get enough sleep.
Complications of Aphasia
Aphasia can cause many quality-of-life issues, considering that communication is a part of everyone’s life. Therefore, communication difficulties can affect:
- Work.
- Connection.
- Daily functions.
In addition, the possibility of complications depends on the cause of aphasia, namely:
- Depression.
- Loss of mobility.
- Loss of bladder or bowel control.
- Higher risk of infection.
- Untreated illness.
Difficulty expressing wants, needs, and problems can lead to shame, frustration, isolation, and depression. Other problems may occur together, such as difficulty moving and problems with memory and thinking.
When to See a Doctor?
Because aphasia is often a sign of a serious problem, such as a stroke, see a doctor immediately if you suddenly experience:
- Difficulty speaking.
- Poor understanding of speech.
- Difficulty with remembering words.
- Problems with reading or writing.