Age and aphasic syndromes

275 patients with CVA and 62 with CCI were examined within one month of the event and again, after 4-6 months. Previous reports have indicated that the average age of patients with Wernicke's aphasia is significantly higher than that of Broca's aphasia. Our findings after the second examination, support these reports. First month examinations, however, showed only a weak trend, lacking statistical significance. Our findings did not show more fluent aphasia in older patients than in younger ones. There is minimal literature on the positive relationship between age and auditory comprehension in aphasia. We found this to be the most highly correlated relationship. Our studies emphasize the importance of changes during the early post-event period in comparing aphasic syndromes in older versus younger patients, since there is a clear shift in the age/syndrome relationship in that period. Age differences in such changes can affect prognosis for rehabilitation.