Primary progressive aphasia: causes, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment

Primary progressive aphasia is a rare syndrome of the nervous (neurological) system that affects the ability to communicate. Affected individuals may have difficulty expressing their thoughts and understanding or finding words.

Symptoms begin gradually, often before age 65, and worsen over time. People with primary progressive aphasia may lose the ability to speak and write and possibly understand written or spoken language.

This disease progresses slowly, so you can continue to take care of yourself and participate in activities of daily living for several years after the onset of the disorder.

Primary progressive aphasia is a type of frontotemporal dementia, a group of related disorders resulting from the degeneration of the frontal or temporal lobes of the brain, including brain tissue related to speech and language.

Symptoms

The symptoms of primary progressive aphasia vary depending on which part of the brain regions dedicated to language is affected. The disease is classified into three types, each with different symptoms.

Primary progressive aphasia, semantic variant

Signs and symptoms include the following: Difficulty understanding spoken or written language, especially simple words Problems understanding the meaning of words Difficulty naming objects

Primary progressive aphasia, logopenic variant

Signs and symptoms include the following: Difficulty remembering words and word substitutions Frequent pauses while speaking to look up words Difficulty repeating phrases or sentences

Primary progressive aphasia, agrammatic or non-fluent variant

Risk factors for primary progressive aphasia include: Barriers to learning. If you had learning disabilities as a child, especially developmental dyslexia, you may be at slightly higher risk for primary progressive aphasia. Certain genetic mutations. Some rare genetic mutations have been linked to the disease. If other members of your family had primary progressive aphasia, your chances of developing this condition may be higher.

Diagnostic

To diagnose primary progressive aphasia, your doctor will review your symptoms and order tests.

A specific feature of primary progressive aphasia is worsening difficulty communicating without significant changes in reasoning or behavior for a year or two.

neurological examination

Doctors may perform a neurological exam, speech and language assessment, and neuropsychological assessment. The tests will measure your speech, comprehension and language skills, object recognition and naming, recall and other factors.

Blood test

Doctors may order blood tests to check for infections or to check for other illnesses. Genetic testing can determine if you have genetic mutations associated with primary progressive aphasia and other neurological disorders.

brain studies

MRIs can help diagnose primary progressive aphasia, detect shrinkage in certain areas of the brain, and show which area of ​​the brain might be affected. MRI scans can also detect strokes, tumors, or other conditions that can affect brain function.

Primary progressive aphasia is incurable and there is no medicine to treat it. However, certain therapies may help improve or maintain your ability to communicate and manage illness.

speech therapy

It can be helpful to work with a speech therapist, focusing primarily on ways to compensate for the loss of language skills. Although speech therapy cannot stop the progression of the disease, it can help you manage the disease and may slow the progression of some symptoms.