What is aphasia? Let's learn about this condition that makes it difficult to form words!

Have you ever noticed that when someone in your family, perhaps your father, mother, or grandmother, suddenly starts to slur their words , having difficulty finding the right words to say? Or have you ever felt like what they are saying doesn't make sense, doesn't fit together? This is what we medically call aphasia. It is not a problem related to intelligence. Simply put, it is a communication problem that occurs when there is damage to the parts of our brain that control language and speech.

What are the symptoms of aphasia?

The severity of aphasia can vary from person to person. Some people may be mildly affected, while others may be severely affected. A person with a mild form of aphasia may be able to speak normally but may have difficulty finding the right words. However, a person with a severe form of aphasia may be unable to speak or understand what others are saying.

Let's look at some common features.

Are there main types of aphasia?

Yes, there are several types of aphasia. These types vary depending on where in the brain the damage is. Let's briefly talk about a few of the main types.

First of all, these can be divided into two main parts:

• Flu ENT Aphasia: In this type, the patient can speak in sentences. But those sentences may not make sense. Sometimes, they may add meaningless words and speak long sentences.
• Non-fluent Aphasia: In this type, speech is very difficult, word by word. Sentences are very short. But the words spoken may have meaning.

Now let's look at some more specific types:

Expressive Aphasia (Broca's aphasia)

What happens in this case is that you have a clear idea of ​​what you want to say in your head, but it's very difficult to put it into words and say it out loud or write it down. It feels like the words are stuck.

Receptive Aphasia (Wernicke's aphasia)

This is when you have difficulty understanding what other people are saying or what is in a book. You hear someone talking, but the meaning of the words doesn't seem to reach your brain. Sometimes you don't even understand the meaning of what you are saying.

Global Aphasia

This is the most severe form of aphasia. It usually occurs after a stroke . It is so difficult for these people to speak, understand, read, or write that they are unable to do anything.

Primary Progressive Aphasia (PPA)

This is a little different. This is a rare type of dementia. What happens is that over time, you gradually lose the ability to speak, write, read, and understand. There is no treatment to reverse this.

What are the causes of aphasia?

The most common cause of aphasia is stroke . During a stroke, a blood vessel that carries blood to the brain is blocked or bursts, causing brain cells to die. Aphasia occurs when cells in the area that controls language die.

In addition to stroke, there may be other causes:

• Severe head injury
• Brain tumor
• Infection affecting the brain
• Neurological diseases such as dementia
• Sometimes, a migraine or a mini-stroke (transient ischemic attack - TIA) can cause aphasia symptoms to appear and disappear temporarily.

How does a doctor find this?

This condition is usually diagnosed when you are hospitalized after a stroke or brain injury. The doctor will talk to you, ask you simple questions, and ask you to do certain things (for example, pointing to a pen and asking what is this) to see if you have this condition.

In addition, tests like these can be done to find the exact cause:

• CT scan (Computed Tomography scan)
• MRI scan (Magnetic Resonance Imaging)
• PET scan (Positron Emission Tomography scan)

These tests can help determine where in the brain the damage has occurred. If aphasia is suspected, your doctor will refer you to a speech-language pathologist . This specialist will perform further tests, determine the type and severity of aphasia you have, and plan the necessary treatment.

Treatment and ways to facilitate communication for this

Speech and Language Therapy is the most important treatment for aphasia. The sooner you start this treatment, the better your chances of success. The therapist will teach you different techniques and exercises to help you remember words, put sentences together, and communicate with others.

In addition, family members also have a big role to play in this journey. It is very important to deal with the patient with patience and love.

The table below gives you an idea of ​​how you can make communication easier for the patient and a family member like you.

What do you do if you suddenly can't talk?

This is the most important part of this article.

If someone suddenly becomes unable to speak, slurs words, or cannot understand what is being said, it is a medical emergency .

It is very important to talk to your doctor about this and seek further advice.

Aphasia, Difficulty speaking, Slurred speech, Stroke, Speech therapy, Brain disorders, Communication