Medical problems that affect your brain often keep you from being wide awake and thinking clearly. You may be affected only a little or a whole lot, ranging from being:
What is stupor?
What is a coma?
What causes stupor or coma?
Causes of stupor and coma are very similar, and include:
Bodywide problems such as:
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Very low blood sugar Hypoglycemia "Hypo" means low. "Glycemia" has to do with the amount of sugar (glucose) in your blood (blood sugar). So, hypoglycemia is when your blood sugar drops too low. Blood sugar is your body's main... read more or very high blood sugar Diabetes Diabetes is a disease in which your blood sugar (glucose) levels are too high. You get diabetes if your body's normal way of controlling blood sugar isn't working right. There are 2 types of... read more levels
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Liver failure
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Kidney failure
Brain problems such as:
What are the symptoms of stupor or coma?
How can doctors tell if a person is in a stupor or coma?
Doctors can tell someone is in a stupor or coma by examining the person.
To find the cause of stupor or coma, doctors do tests, such as:
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Blood tests
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Urine (pee) tests
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CT scan Computed Tomography A CT scan uses a large machine shaped like a large donut to take x-rays from many angles. A computer then takes the x-rays and creates many detailed pictures of the inside of your body. Each... read more
or MRI Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) MRI is a test that uses a machine with a powerful magnet to make pictures of the inside of your body. A computer records changes in the magnetic field around your body. The computer then uses... read more 
of the head -
EEG Electroencephalography (EEG) Brain waves are electrical signals your brain makes. Your brain is always making electrical signals, even when you're asleep. Certain brain problems such as seizures cause changes in your brain... read more (a painless test that records the brain’s electrical activity)
How do doctors treat stupor and coma?
People need to be in the hospital, usually in an intensive care unit (ICU). They often need:
Doctors will treat what caused the stupor or coma. Treatments may include:
Patients who remain in a coma require supportive care, such as:
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A feeding tube for water and food
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Frequently turning the person's body to prevent pressure sores Pressure Sores Pressure sores, often called bedsores, are skin injuries caused by steady pressure on one area of skin. The pressure cuts off blood flow to the area, which can damage the skin. Pressure sores... read more
and blood clots How Blood Clots A blood clot is a clump of material that your body makes to plug up a bleeding blood vessel. Blood clots look like dark purple jelly. They're made up of things in your bloodstream: Platelets... read more -
Frequently moving the person's arms and legs to prevent stiffening of muscles (contractures)
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A tube (catheter) in the bladder to drain urine
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Eye drops to keep the person's eyes from drying out
How people do depends on what caused the coma. Some problems go away, and the person recovers completely. Other people wake up but have some brain damage and don't return to normal. People who have severe brain damage may stay in a coma. A few enter into a vegetative state Vegetative State A vegetative state is when people with brain damage appear to be awake but don't do any purposeful actions or respond to what's going on around them. A person in a vegetative state has basic... read more .
