What is aphasia, disorder Bruce Willis was diagnosed with, and how is it treated?

msn.com:

Bruce Willis will be “stepping away” from his acting career after he was diagnosed with aphasia, his family has announced. According to the actor’s wife, Emma Heming Willis, who shared the news on Instagram, alongside a number of Willis’ other family members, on Wednesday, the diagnosis came after the Red star had been “experiencing some health issues,” with her post noting the disorder has been “impacting his cognitive abilities”. “This is a really challenging time for our family and we are so appreciative of your continued love, compassion and support,” the post reads. What is aphasia and what causes it?Aphasia is a condition that leaves an individual unable to communicate, as it can impact the ability to “speak, write and understand language, both verbal and written,” according to the Mayo Clinic.

View this post on InstagramThe health resource notes that aphasia typically “occurs suddenly” after an individual has experienced brain damage as a result of a stroke or a head injury, but that it can also come on gradually if the person has a “slow-growing brain tumour” or a degenerative disease such as Alzheimer’s disease.

Sometimes temporary episodes of aphasia can occur as a result of migraines, seizures, or a transient ischemic attack (TIA), which occurs when blood flow to the brain is temporarily blocked.

According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, the disorder can also “co-occur” with speech disorders, such as dysarthria or apraxia of speech, which the outlet notes also result from damage to the brain.