ABSTRACT
Aphasia is a common manifestation of stroke. Aphasia increases the disability score in stroke patients due to communication disorders and associated right sided hemiplegia. This study was done to evaluate the relation of aphasia with disability score in the stroke patients. Consecutive stroke patients admitted in Valie-Asr hospital, Khorasan enrolled in a prospective study in 2005. Aphasia and its subtypes were detected by neurologist and linguistician based on the British criteria. Disability scored according to the Rankin scale 72 hours post stroke. Mean of disability score [MDS] was analyzed by Tuki range and Variance tests and p<0.05 was considered significant. Three hundred and twenty nine patients [175 females and 154 males] with stroke were evaluated. Aphasia was found in 106 [32%] of these patients. Stroke patients with aphasia had significantly higher MDS than other stroke patients; T=2.6, df=327, p=0.01. Patients with Global aphasia had significantly higher MDS than patients without aphasia and patients with Wernicke aphasia [p<0.001, p=0.006 respectively]. However, patients with Global aphasia had non-significant difference of MDS to patients with Broca aphasia [p=0.06]. Aphasia is an important effector in disability of stroke patients. Aphasia increases the stroke disability and reduces future recovery in the stroke patients following rehabilitation
Subject(s)
Humans , Male , Female , Disability Evaluation , Stroke , RehabilitationABSTRACT
Aphasia is a common manifestation of stroke and evaluation of relationships of aphasia and brain topography could lead to better understanding of cognitive neurophysiology. 100 stroke patients with aphasia admitted in Valie-Asr hospital Khorasan since April 2003 were enrolled in this prospective cross-sectional study. Diagnosis of stroke and aphasia was made by a neurologist and topography of involved cerebrovascular territories confirmed by topographic maps of brain in CT scan. Global, Broca and Wernicke subtypes of aphasia constituted 52%, 40% and 6% of the cases, respectively. Based on the usual nourishment of Broca and Wernicke areas by anterior and posterior cortical branches of the middle cerebral artery, 79% of Global, 47% of Broca and 50% of Wernicke aphasias had compatible infarct topography. The infarct topography in other cases was not congruent with the involved linguistic areas of their brain. Specific cerebrovascular topography for subtypes of aphasia in stroke patients was not found. The effects of cerebrovascular lesions on linguistic functions are not predictable by their topography in CT scan