Loss of speech due to injury or illness is called which term?

• A. Alzheimer's
• B. Aphasia
• C. Ambulation
• D. Angina

Answer: (B)

Aphasia is a language disorder caused by brain injury or disease that affects a person’s ability to speak, understand, read, or write. When speech is lost or greatly impaired due to injury or illness, aphasia is the term used. It often results from a stroke damaging language centers in the left hemisphere, such as Broca’s area (speech production) or Wernicke’s area (comprehension). There are forms like expressive aphasia (difficulty speaking) and receptive aphasia (difficulty understanding), and sometimes both. In contrast, Alzheimer's involves progressive memory and cognitive decline; ambulation refers to the ability to walk; and angina is chest pain from heart disease. In practice, if someone has aphasia, communicate by facing them, speaking slowly and clearly, using simple phrases, and allowing extra time to respond, with gestures or pictures as needed.