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Writer's pictureNecie Edwards

Language Impairment in Fibromyalgia and CFS

Updated: May 20, 2022



Language Impairment in Fibromyalgia


Do you stammer while speaking and have difficulty vocalizing the right words? Feel embarrassed and want to know the cause, symptoms, and solution.



Language impairment sometimes occurs due to fibromyalgia. What is fibromyalgia? Its symptoms are shown after an event, physical trauma, surgery, infection, significant psychological stress, or an accident that leaves a bad effect on the brain. With the passage of time, these symptoms gradually increase. The first signs of fibromyalgia are fatigue, weakness, difficulty in sleeping, being sensitive about everything, memory problems, trouble concentrating (sometimes called “fibro fog”) headaches, muscle twitches, or cramps.


Brain and memory problem in Fibromyalgia is often referred to as fibro fog or brain fog. Most women are captured in Fibromyalgia than men. Patients usually find themselves searching their brains to make proper sentence structure. Sometimes they have to struggle to write and understand language.


If you are frustrated from language impairment then you are not the only person with this chronic disorder. People with this disorder may have to face difficulty in speaking such as being late to put words together into sentences. Because they can't pay full attention to what they are saying due to mental distress. It leads to embarrassment and also tends to have rough conversations at any time. Research shows that with this disorder people face difficulties recalling their names and also face specific delays in how to read and spell.



The common disorders of language impairment in fibromyalgia:

  • Difficulty understanding figurative language

  • Frequent grammatical and spelling errors

  • Disorganized storytelling and writing

  • Limited use of complex sentences

  • Difficulty finding the right words

  • Reading problems

What are the possible causes?


Experts believe that due to any horrible event or lack of sleep, as well as abnormal cranial effects that have deadly effects on movement and sensation that lead to language impairment. Make it hard for people to share thoughts and ideas effectively. The patients with fibromyalgia also report cognitive problems such as memory loss, difficulty in concentration, slurred speech, thinking one thing, and can’t deliver their words correctly.


Treatment

Language impairment often holds when we go down into deep stress. So, the best solution is to not think about the painful moment or event that led to such a situation. Due to the disturbance and absence of mind people unconsciously start stammering. Visit your physician and find a partner to talk with so you can cope with this problem. The best option to choose is to do individual therapy sessions with a speech pathologist.



Speech pathologists provide great assistance to get rid of this problem. The best solution to overcome this problem is to provide proper relaxation to the brain. Thinking about that makes you happy and proper treatment can lessen the problem.


CFS (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome)


CFS (Chronic fatigue syndrome) is a complicated disorder whose symptoms remain for at least six months and problems include thinking, concentrating, pain and dizziness. Depression is not the only cause of CFS. No one knows the reason for CFS but according to the many theories it develops from viral infection to psychological distress. In the words of some experts, it might be triggered by a combination of factors. If you want to protect yourself then you need to visit a doctor in order to differentiate between CFS and other health problems.




The condition may be triggered suddenly:


  • Enlarged lymph nodes in your neck or armpits

  • Unexplained muscle or joint pain

  • Unrefreshing sleep

  • a viral infection

  • toxic exposure

  • Immunization

  • Anesthetic

  • Sore throat

CFS affects many body parts and its symptoms remain for a long period of time. CFS and fibromyalgia are both considered central sensitivity syndrome because the specification of the both are same. Another name for CFS is ME (myalgic encephalomyelitis). The people who are living with chronic fatigue syndrome have to pay full focus and be aware of monitoring their own activity limits.


Cognitive Impairments in CFS


CI (Cognitive impairment) is associated with CFS (Chronic fatigue syndrome). Stroke, traumatic brain injury, and developmental disabilities can be the causes of Cognitive impairment. It not only attacks at a specific age nor a result of any disease or condition. The most common signs of CI are slow thinking, difficulty focusing, confusion, lack of concentration, forgetfulness, or haziness in thought processes.



Furthermore, the patient continuously loses the ability to understand the importance of something. In this situation, patients often forget what they are saying and frequently repeat the same question over and over.

  • Complex information processing impairments

  • Memory Impairments

  • Attention Impairments

Memory Impairments


Cognitive decline occurs between the normal aging process and the more serious cognitive decline of dementia. Due to a lot of depression patients often face the difficulty of long and short delays in recalling or understanding. Some researchers have suggested that memory impairment may be the result of another condition such as deep depression. In huge depression, patients stuck their brains on the particular thought that can be the reason for memory impairment.



Attention Impairments


When a patient has cognitive impairments, it is difficult for them to divide attention because problems shifted attention to another side. Disabilities in divided attention result in occupational difficulties for patients. Tasks that demand brainstorming and attention abilities, in this situation becomes difficult to accomplish.

For example, completing a project is likely to be a hard task for them to work on a project which requires multitasking or deep attention, such as driving, studying or performing activities of daily living.


Complex information processing impairments


There is no single diagnostic test to confirm this illness. It is the type of difficulty like adding something new to the previous information. In the situation of processing impairment, patients take a longer time to process the information than a normal person. The reason for this situation often includes intense physical and mental fatigue, this is commonly referred to as a ‘brain fog’.


How CFS differ from Aphasia

What is aphasia?


Aphasia is a language disorder held due to brain damage. Loss of blood to the specific area of the brain that controls language expression and comprehension leads to brain cell death or damage in the brain. It snatches the ability to speak properly with others. Aphasia mostly attacks middle to old age, and both men and women are affected equally.


What are the types of aphasia?


  • Broca aphasia: in Broca aphasia the front portion of the brain. A person is unable to deliver their word that what they want to say.

  • Wernicke aphasia; with this disorder, it is hard for patients to understand the communication. It is the damage to the side portion of the brain.

  • Global aphasia; in global aphasia, the whole part of the brain stops working that controls the language. Individuals have very poor comprehension


Difference between CFS(chronic fatigue syndrome) and aphasia


The reason for CFS is psychological stress or such an event that leaves a spot on the brain forever while aphasia is the cause of loss of blood to a specific area of the brain that leads to the damage of brain cells. The symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome remain for at least six months in spite of this aphasia being completely unable to communicate properly.



There is no age limitation for CFS, it attacks people of all ages and people affected by aphasia from middle to old age. Most women are affected by chronic fatigue syndrome. If we talk about aphasia both men and women are affected equally.


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