Relative frequency and prognosis of vascular aphasia (Follow-up at 3 months) in the neurology department of assiut university hospital

Abstract

Background: Post-stroke aphasia (PSA) is a disabling complication after stroke leading to impairment of quality of life. It was reported to develop in one third of patients with stroke and in two thirds of patients with right hemiplegia due to stroke. Objectives: The aim of this study is to determine the relative frequency, clinical types, and prognosis of vascular aphasia in patients with acute cerebrovascular stroke. Methods: The study was conducted on 1508 patients who were admitted with acute cerebrovascular stroke to the Neurology Department of Assiut University Hospital during the 6-month period. Among them, there were 107 patients presented with aphasia who were subjected to clinical assessment, Kasr El-Eini Arabic Aphasia test (KAAT), computerized tomography, and/or magnetic resonance imaging of the brain. Follow-up study of aphasic patients was done after 1 and 3 months with KAAT. Results: Relative frequency of vascular aphasia in the Neurology Department of Assiut University Hospital was 7.1% and more common among male patients (57.9%), with the most frequent type was global aphasia (66.4%). Better improvement in follow-up was for aphasia without repetitive disorder (p = 0.000) mainly for subcortical aphasia (p = 0.000), and better recovery was reported among younger age groups (p = 0.041), patients with cerebral hemorrhage (p = 0.019), and patients with small-sized lesions (p = 0.031). Conclusion: There were many prognostic factors which can predict rate of aphasia recovery like age of the patient, aphasia type, size, site, and pathology of the lesion.