Aphasia is a language disorder caused by brain damage, often from a stroke. Strokes can be hemorrhagic or ischemic and cause brain cells to die, potentially leading to aphasia. Not all strokes cause aphasia, and other conditions can also damage language areas of the brain.
Aphasia and stroke are two different medical conditions that occur in the brain. Aphasia is a disorder in which a person has difficulty expressing and understanding language, and a stroke is a condition in which the blood supply to the brain is cut off. When a stroke causes damage to the parts of the brain responsible for language, it affects a person’s ability to communicate. The connection between aphasia and strokes, then, is that strokes cause aphasia.
There are two main types of strokes: hemorrhagic and ischemic. During a hemorrhagic stroke, a blood vessel in the brain bursts, causing blood to leak into the brain. In an ischemic stroke, a blood clot travels or forms in a blood vessel, blocking the blood from traveling. As a result of a burst or blocked blood vessel, blood and oxygen flow to the brain is cut off; this causes the brain cells in the area where the stroke occurred to die. Most people who suffer a stroke suffer permanent damage from the loss of these brain cells.
If a stroke occurs near parts of the brain that a person uses for language, it can cause damage to this function, resulting in aphasia. Depending on which language area of the brain is damaged, a person may develop expressive aphasia, receptive aphasia, or global aphasia. Expressive aphasia is when a person has difficulty expressing themselves using words and sentences. Receptive aphasia is when a person has trouble understanding what others are saying. Global aphasia is when a person suffers from both expressing themselves and understanding others.
It is important to understand that although aphasia and strokes are linked, not all strokes cause aphasia and not all cases of aphasia occur as a result of strokes. In other words, the connection between aphasia and stroke is not exclusive. Because a stroke can occur anywhere in the brain, it can cause a wide range of other problems, meaning a person who has a stroke won’t necessarily develop aphasia. For example, a person who suffers a stroke might instead experience memory loss, muscle weakness, or paralysis.
Although a stroke is the most common cause of aphasia, brain damage can occur due to a variety of other conditions or medical events. Blunt trauma, for example, can damage a part of the brain used for language. Any condition that damages speech parts of the brain can also cause aphasia. Also, aphasia can develop gradually due to degeneration of brain cells.
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