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Saturday, May 28, 2016
Loss of speech due to stroke
My friend has lost his speech after he suffered a stroke/paralysis. He is able to move his toungue perfectly. he seems to have lost his memory also since he could not remember some vital information (like the code letters of his ATM/debit card) Please help us finding the right treatment for this disaster
A stroke is damage to the brain that is usually due to a lack of oxygen from a blocked artery (which carries blood with oxygen and nutrients from the heart to the brain). The deficits that exist after stroke are dependent upon what part of the brain was injured.
Your friend might have an injury in the part of his brain that corresponds to understanding language, or the part that is necessary to communicate his thoughts. Either would impair language ability even if the tongue, lips, and mouth all work perfectly.
If memory is truly affected, this could be due to injury in the structure that serves memory function. Alternatively, memory problems that develop after stroke can be due to depression--it is very important to discuss with his doctors, as depression is treatable and thus some symptoms might improve.
After a stroke, it is beneficial to have physical or occupational therapy to help recover from weakness/paralysis. In the same way, there is speech/language therapy to help with post-stroke language problems, and cognitive therapy to help with issues like memory. You should discuss with the doctors involved in his care to see if all rehabilitation options have been fully explored.
Brett Kissela, MD
Assistant Professor of Neurology
Director, Neurology Residency Program
College of Medicine
University of Cincinnati