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Definition
By Mayo Clinic staffComa is a state of prolonged unconsciousness that can be caused by a variety of problems — traumatic head injury, stroke, brain tumor, drug or alcohol intoxication, or even an underlying illness, such as diabetes or an infection.
Coma is a medical emergency. Swift action is needed to preserve life and brain function. Doctors typically order a battery of blood tests and a brain CT scan to try to determine what's causing coma so that proper treatment can begin.
Comas seldom last longer than several weeks. People who are unconscious for longer than that can transition to a persistent vegetative state. Depending on the cause of coma, people who are in a persistent vegetative state for more than three years are extremely unlikely to awaken.
- Berger JR. Stupor and coma. In: Bradley. Neurology in Clinical Practice. 5th ed. Burlington, Mass.: Butterworth-Heinemann; 2008. http://www.mdconsult.com/book/player/book.do?method=display&type=bookPage&decorator=header&eid=4-u1.0-B978-0-7506-7525-3..50007-8--cesec4&uniq=189705338&isbn=978-0-7506-7525-3&sid=969544059. Accessed March 18, 2010.
- Simon RP. Coma and disorders of arousal. In: Goldman L, et al., eds. Cecil Medicine. 23rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2007. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/189705338-11/969548074/1492/1435.html#4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-2805-5..50433-X--cesec2_18138. Accessed March 18, 2010.
- Young BG. Stupor and coma in adults. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed March 18, 2010.
- Cooke JL. Depressed consciousness and coma. In: Marx JA, et al., eds. Rosen's Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice. 6th ed. St. Louis, Mo.: Mosby; 2006. http://www.mdconsult.com/book/player/book.do?method=display&type=bookPage&decorator=header&eid=4-u1.0-B978-0-323-05472-0..00014-1&uniq=189705338&isbn=978-0-323-05472-0&sid=969548074#lpState=open&lpTab=contentsTab&content=4-u1.0-B978-0-323-05472-0..00014-1%3Bfrom%3Dtoc%3Btype%3DbookPage%3Bisbn%3D978-0-323-05472-0. Accessed March 18, 2010.
- Wijdicks EF (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. March 23, 2010.
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