What is Aphasia:
Aphasia is a condition in which parts of brain are damaged. The parts that are damaged by this disorder are basically responsible for expressions and language and are located on the left-hand side of the brain. It normally occurs suddenly due to head injuries or strokes. Though it may also be caused due to a brain tumor or dementia (serious brain disorder).
Aphasia usually damages the areas that help in expressing and understanding languages. It may also occur with disorders in speech like Dysarthria (slurred speech, difficult to produce).
Who can be affected by Aphasia:
According to National Aphasia Association, around 80,000 people acquire this disease every year by strokes. Today, more than one million people suffer from Aphasia in the United States. The disease can affect anyone including children. But the maximum number of people to be affected are the middle-aged or older people.
Causes of Aphasia:
When one or more language areas of the brain are damaged, Aphasia is caused. Many times, the brain injury is caused by a stroke. A stroke occurs when blood is unable to reach a part of the brain. When the brain doesn’t receive required supply of oxygen carrying blood, the brain cells die. This results in a stroke and causes Aphasia. Other reasons of injuries to brain could be brain tumors or brain infections also.
Types of Aphasia:
- Fluent
- Non-Fluent
Damage to brain’s temporal lobe may cause Fluent Aphasia also known as Wernicke’s Aphasia. People having Wernicke’s Aphasia may relate long sentences but without any meaning. It is usually not easy to follow their sentences. They are usually not aware of their sentence mistakes.
Broca’s Aphasia is a type of Non-Fluent Aphasia. People suffering from Broca’s Aphasia have a damaged frontal lobe (front portion of the brain). They usually speak short sentences. The sentences make sense but are spoken with difficulty. For example, if a person having Broca’s Aphasia says “computer work”, he means he has to work on the computer. People suffering from Broca’s Aphasia would suffer from weakness in their right-side or paralysis in arm or leg.
When Broca’s Aphasia becomes severe and combines with Wernicke’s Aphasia, another type of non-fluent Aphasia is formed. It is called Global Aphasia. In this type, very severe damage to the brain is caused and recovery is difficult for the patient.
