Aphasia is a condition that leads to difficulty in expressing or understanding words. It affects communication comprehension of both spoken and written language. The illness impacts individuals in diverse ways, but most people struggle to express themselves or comprehend spoken or written information.
But how does it happen? The major causes are brain damage that can occur suddenly after a stroke or head injury. It can also develop as a result of a slowly progressing brain tumor or a degenerative disease. The severity of aphasia depends on various factors. So, let’s explore its types, symptoms, and causes of aphasia.
Dementia and Aphasia
Aphasia and dementia are both neurological conditions that can significantly impede one’s ability to think and communicate. While symptoms of dementia have several degenerative conditions impacting memory, behavior, and personality, aphasia specifically involves language difficulties. The symptoms of aphasia include challenges with reading, writing, speaking, and understanding other’s words.
The severity of communication difficulties in individuals with dementia depends on the progression of the illness. Individuals in the early stages of dementia may experience milder communication issues compared to those in advanced stages.
Vascular Dementia and Aphasia
Patients experiencing aphasia after their first stroke are at a higher risk of developing aphasia vascular dementia. Vascular dementia refers to difficulties with thinking, decision-making, planning, memory, and other cognitive processes caused by brain damage. This disorder can result from reduced blood flow to the brain and develops after a stroke blocks an artery in the brain.
Vascular dementia may show symptoms like confusion, difficulty in paying attention, inability to organize thoughts or actions, slowed thought process, and problems with memory etc. People suffering from Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia have a minor aphasia.
Causes of Aphasia
Aphasia and dementia are caused by damage to the brain areas that control language and speech. The abnormal accumulation of proteins inside brain cells may contribute to the deterioration and loss of brain cells. Aphasia is most commonly the result of a stroke, but any changes in the brain can lead to aphasia. This can include traumatic brain injury, brain infections, tumors, or other brain disorders.
If aphasia is caused by a sudden brain injury, like a stroke or severe head injury, symptoms typically appear immediately after the injury. In cases where there is gradual damage to the brain due to a progressive condition, such as dementia or a brain tumor, symptoms may develop slowly.
Types of Aphasia
Here are a few major types of aphasia.
Expressive aphasia
People suffering from expressive aphasia find it challenging to convey their ideas, thoughts, and messages to others. It impacts their speech, gestures, and writing, creating difficulties with daily activities such as conversing with the family or using the phone. People with expressive aphasia dementia may show the following symptoms.
- Having difficulty in articulating specific words such as names of places, objects, or people.
- Speaking slowly and struggling to form complete sentences.
- Making spelling or grammatical mistakes
- Uttering wrong but related words and using speech that makes no sense.
Receptive aphasia
A person with receptive aphasia experiences trouble comprehending spoken or written information. It also impacts the person’s ability to interpret gestures, numbers, drawings, and images. People with receptive aphasia find it difficult to carry out daily activities like reading an email or book, having conversations, or watching TV programs. A person suffering from this disease may have the symptoms below.
- Does not understand what the other person is saying
- Misinterprets the words, images, or drawings.
- Does not understand written words
- Gives responses that do not make any sense.
Primary Progressive Aphasia
Primary progressive aphasia is a rare form of aphasia dementia that significantly impacts language skills. It is caused by degeneration of the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain. It is a progressive condition, so symptoms worsen over time, and people lose all written or verbal communication skills. Below are the symptoms of primary progressive aphasia.
- Speaking slowly and using short and simple sentences
- Hesitating while initiating a conversation
- Forget the meaning of complex words and later struggle with simple words
- Hesitating while speaking and making errors
In the later stages of the illness, people may also encounter symptoms such as changes in behavior and personality, as well as challenges with memory, similar to those seen in Alzheimer’s disease.
Conclusion
Aphasia is a condition that hinders a person’s ability to communicate, leading to embarrassment, isolation, frustration, and depression. People suffering from aphasia and dementia find difficulty in expressing their needs and desires, which often make them feel lonely and isolated. Recognizing the symptoms early and providing treatment can help people deal with it. There are various methods to treat aphasia, such as speech therapy, which helps to regain language skills. Technology also provides new methods to aid communication for people with aphasia, enabling them to build connections and feel understood.
