Aphasia overview

Aphasia is an “acquired disorder of previously intact language ability secondary to brain disease.” 1 Aphasia may affect the production of, or comprehension of, speech, as well as the ability to read or write. According to current accepted estimates, one million people in the United States and an additional one million in the rest of the world have aphasia. Most of these people have acquired aphasia as a result of a stroke, although head injury, brain tumor and other neurological trauma may also result in aphasia. Of the approximately half-million stroke victims each year in the US, about 40 % of patients will have some kind of speech and language disorders, and, of those, half will have been rendered aphasic.