Define Dysphasia

Over 1 million Americans suffer from permanent dysphasia, or aphasia as it is commonly known in North America. Most people who suffer from dysphasia previously suffered a stroke. If you have dysphasia, you can think and feel normally but have difficulty expressing those thoughts or feelings verbally and in writing to others. Treatments are available for dysphasia, and you can take measures to prevent high risk factors for acquiring dysphasia.

Facts

• Dysphasia is a neurological condition that consists of partial or complete speech impairment resulting from brain injury to one of the language centers of your brain. It does not affect intelligence, points out the National Aphasia Association. While there are several types of dysphasia, the four most common types include expressive dysphasia, receptive dysphasia, anomic or amnesia dysphasia, and global dysphasia.

Causes

• More than 100,000 people, or about 25 to 40 percent of stroke survivors, will suffer dysphasia each year, states the National Aphasia Association. Causes of dysphasia include disease, direct trauma, lesion or infection of one or more lobes of the brain which control language. Brain tumors, brain degeneration or dementia, and transient ischemic attacks also cause dysphasia. The National Institute of Deafness and Other Communication Disorders states that anyone can suffer from dysphasia, including children; however, dysphasia occurs mainly in middle-aged and older people.

Types

• According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, expressive dysphasia is when you know what you want to say but cannot find the correct words. Receptive dysphasia allows you to hear or see the word but cannot make sense of it. Anomic dysphasia is the least severe form and you have difficulty using the correct names for specific objects, people, places and events. Lastly, global dysphasia results from severe brain damage and you lose almost all comprehension and language expression.

Treatments

• You may completely recover from dysphasia without treatment within a few hours or days if you suffered a transient ischemic attack, states NIDCD. However, the sooner you receive language therapy, the better are your chances of recovering, states NINDS. Speech pathologists and computer-aided software will give you extensive treatment in reading, writing, following directions, and repeating what you hear. In addition to a speech therapist, friends and family can help you practice language skills. Language comprehension is usually easier to recover than expression, says NINDS.

Prevention

• Dysphasia may be prevented by preventing the causes of brain injury and stroke, such as high blood pressure. Eating a healthy diet that is low in sodium and not smoking will reduce your risk of stroke and high blood pressure. Wearing protective headgear while participating in dangerous sports or activities can reduce your chances of serious brain injury.