Incidence and types of aphasia after first-ever acute stroke in Bengali speakers: age, gender, and educational effect on the type of aphasia

ABSTRACT

Background

The pattern of post-stroke aphasia in speakers of Bengali language has not previously been reported in the literature. Furthermore, the inter-relationship between age, gender, and level of education and aphasia typology has remained unsettled thus far.

Aims

To investigate the incidence and type of aphasia in first-ever acute stroke patients who were speakers of Bengali language.

Methods & Procedures

Bengali version of Western Aphasia Battery was used for language assessment in our study participants. Lesion localization was done by using magnetic resonance imaging(3T) for ischemic stroke (if not contraindicated) and computed tomography for hemorrhagic stroke. Among 515 screened cases of first-ever acute stroke, 208 presented with aphasia. Language assessment was done between 7 and 14 days in all study participants.

Outcomes & Results

The incidence of post-stroke aphasia in our sample was found at 40.39%. Types of aphasia were – Broca’s (38.5%) followed by global (27.9%); Wernicke’s (12.5%); transcortical motor (9.6%); anomic (4.3%); transcortical sensory (3.8%); isolation (1.9%); and conduction (1.4%). Mean number of years of formal education was significantly higher in fluent aphasia group in comparison with non-fluent group (10.51 years versus 7.01 years, p = 0.003). In logistic regression analysis, location of lesion (posterior perisylvian) (p = 0.007, OR = 5.406, 95% CI, 1.602–18.240) and education (p = 0.044, OR = 1.097, 95% CI, 1.003–1.199) were two independent predictors favoring fluent aphasia.

Conclusions

Aphasia among post-stroke Bengali patients is quite frequent. The commonest type of aphasia in our sample was Broca’s aphasia. Bengali-speaking people with higher education were more likely to present fluent aphasia.

KEYWORDS:

• Aphasia incidence
• vascular aphasia
• Bengali language

Acknowledgments

We would like to express our sincere gratitude to Professor Patrick Coppens for his most valuable inputs on a former version of the article; Professor Stefano F. Cappa for his meaningful feedback on some of the observations made in the present study and Professor Shyamal Kumar Das for his continuous inspiring guidance in conducting this research.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.