[Recovery in aphasia (Part 1)]

Abstract

In order to elucidate the factors which have an influence on the prognosis of aphasia, a correlation was studied in 76 right-handed aphasic patients between recovery rates and various factors: i.e. aphasia type, age, educational level, time between onset of aphasia and institution of therapy and initial severity. Initial evaluations on Standard Language Test of Aphasia (SLTA) were obtained within 5 months after the cerebrovascular accident and reevaluations were obtained 3 months after the initial evaluation. Recovery rates were determined by comparing scores of these 2 tests in order to coincide with clinical impression. The results obtained were as follows: Aphasia type: The highest recovery rates were seen in conduction aphasics, followed by amnestic, Wernicke, and Broca aphasics. Global aphasics had significantly lower recovery rates. It was suggested that anarthria in Broca's aphasia and jargon in Wernicke's aphasia had a significant ratarding effect on recovery rates. Age: Age and recovery rates showed a significant negative correlation: younger patients recovered better, and this trend was remarkable in Wernicke aphasics but not Broca aphasics. Education: Patients with more education tended to improve more, and this trend was most remarkable in amnestic aphasics. Time between onset of aphasia and institution of therapy: Time elapsed from onset and recovery rates showed a significant negative correlation; recovery rates decreased as the time interval from onset increased. Initial severity: Correlation between the initial severity of aphasia, measured by the initial SLTA scores and recovery rates was very high; severily affected aphasics recovered to a lesser extent than mildly affected ones and this trend was remarkable in Wernicke and Broca aphasics.