Actor Bruce Willis attends the "Motherless Brooklyn" premiere during the 57th New York Film Festival on October 11, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Jim Spellman/WireImage) Actor Bruce Willis is taking a break from acting and his family announced on social media Wednesday that the 67-year-old has been diagnosed with aphasia. "Bruce’s amazing supporters, as a family we wanted to share that our beloved Bruce has been experiencing some health issues and has recently been diagnosed with aphasia, which is impacting his cognitive abilities," the family said. "As a result of this and with much consideration Bruce is stepping away from the career that has meant so much to him."BRUCE WILLIS DIAGNOSED WITH APHASIA, 'STEPPING AWAY' FROM ACTING, FAMILY REVEALSAccording to the National Aphasia Association, the acquired communication disorder impairs a person's ability to process language, including the ability to speak and understand others or read and write.
It affects 2 million Americans, with nearly 180,000 diagnosed with the disorder annually.Aphasia is always due to injury to the brain, and is most common from a stroke, particularly in older individuals.
About 25%-40% of stroke survivors develop aphasia. Brain injuries resulting in aphasia may also occur stemming from head trauma, brain tumors and infections.It does not affect a person's intelligence, although a person with aphasia may have trouble recalling words and names.Aphasia can be severe or very mild and can occur in people of all ages, races, nationalities and genders. ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE IMPACTING 6.5M OLDER AMERICANSMedical imaging service in a hospital in Savoie, France. (Photo by: BSIP/Universal Images Group via Getty Images) Many people also have weakness or.