-plegia refers to paralysis, which is the loss of power to move part of the body due to nerve injury or disease. Examples are quadriplegia, paralysis of all four limbs from neck injury, and hemiplegia, total paralysis of one side of the body from stroke or illness. -phasia refers to a speech disorder, often caused by stroke or brain injury affecting the left hemisphere responsible for language. Aphasia is a language disorder impairing expression and understanding from stroke or head injury. Dysphasia is an impairment of speech production and arranging words understandably, also caused by stroke, brain injury, infection or tumor.

1. Chapter 12
Nervous System
Suffixes
By Luke Westrum

2. -plegia
 –plegia stands for paralysis
 Paralysis is the loss of power to move a part
of the body due to injury or disease of the
nerves that supply the muscles involved in
moving that part of the body
 Examples that affect the body include
quadriplegia and hemiplegia

3. Quadriplegia
 Paralysis of all four
limbs both arms and
legs
 Injury usually results in
person being unable to
use their body from the
neck down
 Occurs from a stroke or
spinal cord injury above
the first thoracic
vertebrae

4. Hemiplegia
 Total paralysis on one
side of the body that
can affect the face,
arm, leg, and trunk
 Can be caused from a
stroke or illness and is
sometimes congenital

5. -phasia
 -phasia indicates a speech disorder of a
specific kind
 Commonly caused by a stroke or brain injury
that affects the left hemisphere of the brain
responsible for understanding and expression
of language
 Examples of –phasia are aphasia and
dysphasia

6. Aphasia
 Is a disorder that results from
damage to the parts of the
brain that contain language
 The disorder impairs the
expression and understanding
of language as well as reading
and writing
 Often results from a stroke or
head injury but can be caused
slowly over time due to
infection or brain tumor
 Most individuals will be
affected on the left hemisphere
of the brain shown in the areas
on the diagram

7. Dysphasia
 Impairment of production of speech and a
inability to be able to arrange words in a
understandable way
 Can be caused by stroke, brain injury,
infection, or brain tumor
 People with the condition can think clearly
and can maintain their intellect but are often
mistakenly taken for being drunk or mentally
confused