Aphasia and the causes

Pharmacy Chicks

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By definition Aphasia is an impairment of language, affecting the production or comprehension of speech and the ability to read or write. Aphasia is always due to an injury to the brain, most commonly from a stroke. Other brain injuries such as a closed head injury (common in car wrecks or contact sports), a brain tumor, or an infection can cause aphasia. It can range from severe (where the patient can’t communicate at all) or mild (only affecting a single aspect of language use such as the ability to retrieve the names of objects, or the ability to words together into a sentence) Most commonly, multiple aspects of communication are impaired. Speech therapists will work with the patient to determine the amount of function available and assess the possibility that treatment might enhance the use of the channels that are available.

There are several different types of aphasia and I certainly won’t bore you with all the types and characterizations associated with each. A speech pathologist is definitely more versed in the clinical subtleties of each type. As a pharmacist, my job is to broadly discuss how you can prevent aphasia and what to look for in friends in family if you suspect aphasia. Since a stroke is the MOST common cause of aphasia it is important to be familiar with the signs and symptoms of a stroke so that you can immediately get help. Sudden weakness or numbness on one side of the body, sudden trouble seeing, sudden dizziness or trouble walking, sudden headache for no reason, and sudden confusion or trouble talking and understanding are all signs of a stroke. Many times if a patient is experiencing these symptoms and they can get to an emergency room within a few hours the signs of a stroke can be reversed (depending upon the type of stroke). The sooner treatment is initiated the lesser the likelihood that long term effects of a stroke, such as aphasia, will occur. While one’s intelligence is not affected by aphasia, the ability to communicate by speaking, reading, writing, gesturing, understanding others, and using numbers can all be affected. A speech therapist can focus on which of these pathways is least affected and target therapy to maximize what communication skills remain.

As you can imagine, quality of life with aphasia depends upon which speech pathways are affected. If you can’t understand people when they are talking to you or if you know what you want to say to others but you can’t communicate it effectively, you will probably feel discouraged and depressed. There isn’t a magic pill or even a not so magical pill to treat aphasia. I can imagine how frustrating it would be not to be able to communicate with anyone. Everyday tasks would become insurmountable. This is why it is so important to patients suffering from aphasia to find a speech therapist. While I can’t specifically relate to aphasia, I can share a story about my son’s journey through speech therapy.

My son was born with cerebal palsy which wasn’t diagnosed until later. He had much difficulty in speaking. He knew exactly what he wanted to say but his mouth couldn’t form the words correctly so they usually came out very jumbled. While his father and I found it cute his first few years of life, it was extremely frustrating for him. We would often inadvertently give him the wrong type of food or toy that he was requesting because we couldn’t understand him. His pediatrician recommended a speech therapist and we started therapy three times weekly from age two until age 11. To talk to him today you would never know that he ever had a speech problem. That is possible with aphasia patients as well. Years of persistent speech therapy will help them maximize what communication skills they have. It might take a decade like it did my son, but is well worth it in the long run for quality of life.  If you have more specific questions about aphasia or need help locating a speech therapist please don’t hesitate to call me at Payless Family Pharmacy or Beth at Sparta Drug. We are always here to help!    

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