BEN: BEFORE WE GET TO QUESTIONS, I WANT TO GET YOUR REACTION TO MEDICAL WSNE TODAY ABOUT ACTOR BRUCE WILLIS. HIS FAMILY SAYS HE’S STRUGGLGIN WITH A CONDITION CALLED APHASIA. I KWNO IT’S NOT YOUR SPECIALTY, BUT WHAT CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT IT? >> APHASIA IS DIFFICULTY WITH LANGUAGE. IT CAN MEAN DIFFICULTY UNDERSTANDING OR IT CAN MEAN DIFFICULTY FORMING OR FINDING THE RIGHT WORDS TO BE ABLE TO COMMUNICATE WITH OTHER PEOPLE. IT’S DIFFERENT THAN JUST HAVING SLURRED SPEECHES. IT’S DIFFICULTY PUTTING WDSOR TOGETHER. MOST TYPICALLY, APHASIA IS THE RESULT OF A STROKE. THERE’S A SPECIAL AREA OF THE LEFT SIDE OF THE BRAIN, GOVERN SPEECH AND ALONG, IF THERE’S A STROKE THAT DAMAGES THAT PART OF THE BRAIN, YOU CAN BE LEFT WHIT APHASIA. THERE COULD BE OERTH CAUSES AS WELL. ANYTHING THAT INJURES THAT AA,RE IF THERE’S AN INFECTION OR MASS. I’M NOT A NEUROLOGIST. I HAVE NO FIRSTHAND KNOWLEDGE OF MR. WILLIS’S PARTICULAR CONDITION. THAT’S WHAT APHASIA IS. ERIKA: THANK YOU FOR LETTING US KNOW THAT. WE UNDERSTAND YOU DON’T KNOW HIS CIRCUMSTANCE. IS THERE ANY TREATMENT? >> IT DEPENDS A LOT ON THE COST. IN MOST CASES IF SOMEBODY HAS APHASI DAUE TO A STROKE, AS THEY RECOVER, THEY MAY RECOVER PARTIALLY OR COMPLETELY. THEIR ABILITY TO USE LANGUAGE DEPENDG INON HOW EXTENSIVE THE STROKEAS W. PEOP CLEAN GET SPEECH THERAPY. IF THERE’S OTHER CAUSE LIKE AN INFECTION THAT NEED TO BE TREATE
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What is aphasia? Boston doctor explains health condition affecting Bruce Willis
Updated: 7:04 PM EDT Mar 30, 2022
The family of award-winning actor Bruce Willis announced Wednesday that he is “stepping away” from his decades-long career in Hollywood after recently being diagnosed with aphasia.Dr. Daniel Kuritzkes, of Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, described aphasia as difficulty with language or difficulty forming or finding the right words to say to be able to communicate with other people.”It’s different than just having slurred speech. It’s, really, difficulty putting the words together,” Kuritzkes said.Kuritzkes said that aphasia is most typically the result of a stroke, but there could be other causes, including an injury, infection or mass in a particular part of the brain.”There’s a special area in the left side of the brain that, in most people, governs speech and language. And if there’s a stroke that damages that part of the brain, then you could be left with aphasia,” he said.The type of treatment Willis could undergo to treat his aphasia depends largely on its cause, according to Kuritzkes.”So in most cases, if somebody has aphasia due to a stroke, then as they recover from the stroke, they may recover — partially or completely — their ability to use language depending on how extensive the stroke was, and people can get speech therapy to help with that,” Kuritzkes said. “If there’s some other cause, like an infection, that would need to be treated. Or if there’s a mass, then that would need to be removed surgically, if possible.”
The family of award-winning actor Bruce Willis announced Wednesday that he is “stepping away” from his decades-long career in Hollywood after recently being diagnosed with aphasia.
Dr. Daniel Kuritzkes, of Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, described aphasia as difficulty with language or difficulty forming or finding the right words to say to be able to communicate with other people.
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“It’s different than just having slurred speech. It’s, really, difficulty putting the words together,” Kuritzkes said.
Kuritzkes said that aphasia is most typically the result of a stroke, but there could be other causes, including an injury, infection or mass in a particular part of the brain.
“There’s a special area in the left side of the brain that, in most people, governs speech and language. And if there’s a stroke that damages that part of the brain, then you could be left with aphasia,” he said.
The type of treatment Willis could undergo to treat his aphasia depends largely on its cause, according to Kuritzkes.
“So in most cases, if somebody has aphasia due to a stroke, then as they recover from the stroke, they may recover — partially or completely — their ability to use language depending on how extensive the stroke was, and people can get speech therapy to help with that,” Kuritzkes said. “If there’s some other cause, like an infection, that would need to be treated. Or if there’s a mass, then that would need to be removed surgically, if possible.”