Research FAQs

It is very challenging to get statistics about aphasia.  For our purposes, we often extrapolate from stroke data, as stroke is a leading cause of aphasia. (Other brain conditions can also result in aphasia, such as traumatic brain injuries, brain tumours, dementia, or primary progressive aphasia.)

• A research article on the Incidence and Profile of Inpatient Stroke-Induced aphasia in Ontario, Canada(Dickey, Kagan, Lindsay, Fang, Rowland & Black, 2010), determined that “Thirty-five percent…of adult patients admitted with a diagnosis of stroke in the province of Ontario during the 2004 to 2005 Ontario Stroke Audit had symptoms of aphasia at the time of discharge.” (2010:196).¹  
• In Ontario, we access stroke data through publications by the Institute of Clinical and Evaluative Sciences, including statistics of prevalence and incidence – such as from this report.
• In Canada, we consider stroke data from the Government of Canada’s Canadian Chronic Disease Surveillance System, such as from these 2019 highlights, as well as data reported in Krueger et al.’s (2015) Prevalence of Individuals Experiencing the Effects of Stroke in Canada: Trends and Projections·  For a look at aphasia across both Canada and the U.S.A., we recommend Simmons-Mackie’s (2018) Aphasia in North America