Incoherent Texting- an Indicator for Stroke

Neurologists at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit suggest that dystextia, incoherent text messaging, could be a sign of aphasia leading to stroke. Aphasia is a disorder, which affects a person’s ability to comprehend and process a language. Dr.Omran Kaskar, MD, and his team will present their report based on a case study at the annual scientific meeting of the American Academy of Neurology in San Diego.

The researchers observed the case of a 40-year-old man who was diagnosed with an acute ischemic stroke and dystextia was the only symptom displayed by the patient.

The patient who had been on a business trip to Detroit had sent incoherent text messages to his wife. He went to the hospital as requested by his wife. Initial tests examining his fluency of speech, reading, writing, and comprehension indicated normal health.

Later when the doctors asked him to type a simple sentence, his text made no sense. Neurologists also observed slight slackness on one side of his face. Based on these symptoms the doctors had given their diagnosis.

According to the authors, dytextia could help in diagnosis when no other symptoms are displayed. Moreover, the timestamp on the text messages could indicate the onset of stroke and aid in giving the timely treatment.

Source-Medindia