Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWhat Is Unconsciousness?Signs or SymptomsCausesFirst AidWhen to Seek Medical CareTreatmentFrequently Asked Questions
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
What Is Unconsciousness?
Signs or Symptoms
Causes
First Aid
When to Seek Medical Care
Treatment
Frequently Asked Questions
When a person is unaware of their surroundings and unable to respond, this is described as being unconscious. Unconsciousness is a medical emergency, and it is often a sign of a serious health issue that could result in death or permanent disability.
If you encounter a person who is unconscious, call for urgent medical attention and try to provide as much information to emergency medical responders as possible. There are many causes of unconsciousness, and the medical team will work on identifying the cause while treatment is started.
Caiaimage / Paul Bradbury / Getty Images
Consciousness is a spectrum. Being fully awake, alert, and oriented to your surroundings is the most common and normal state of consciousness. Altered levels of consciousness includenormal stages of sleep, as well as states of diminished awareness due to illness or medication.
Unconsciousness includes:
An Overview of Level of Consciousness (LOC)
During a period of unconsciousness, a person is not arousable, and will not respond or have any control of themselves.
Unconsciousness can occur suddenly, or it may develop gradually, depending on the cause. A person might feel sick, dizzy, short of breath, have chest pain, or might feel lethargic orfaintbefore becoming unconscious.Lethargyis a state of being awake, but with diminished alertness and diminished ability to respond.
After recovering from unconsciousness, it usually takes hours, days, or longer to regain full awareness and ability to respond.
Symptoms of unconsciousness include:
Associated symptoms are typically related to the cause. For example, a person who is unconscious due tosepsisorsepticemia(severe infection and consequences of infection), could also have a fever, skin changes, and organ failure.
Consciousness is a function of the brain. An altered level of consciousness is a sign that a medical condition has affected brain function. Many different medical conditions can affect consciousness.
For example,cardiac arrestleads to a sudden loss of consciousness because blood stops flowing to the brain. In cardiac arrest, the brain isn’t the problem—the heart is. However, the loss of consciousness is the indicator of the problem.
Causes of altered levels of consciousness can be summarized with the mnemonicAEIOU TIPS:
When a person is unconscious, the brain is functional. Unconsciousness is not the same asbrain death. Brain death is a condition in which the brain is not functioning, and it can occur when the same medical issues that cause unconsciousness lead to severe and permanent brain damage.
If someone is unconscious, you can take steps to assist while you are waiting for professional medical help to arrive.
Things you can do include:
What to Avoid
If you are with someone who becomes suddenly unconscious and does not immediately recover,call 911.
If you have recovered from an episode of unconsciousness, you should see your healthcare provider to determine whether you need additional tests or treatments to find the cause and prevent a recurrence.
Sometimes altered levels of consciousness, such as lethargy, can occur due to fluctuation of a chronic condition. For example, a person can have impaired consciousness due to very high or low blood sugar levels with diabetes. And a seizure can cause a person to be unconscious duringthe post-ictal state.
Unconsciousness should always be treated as an emergency.Call 911 immediately.
Unconsciousness is a sign of numerous diagnoses, many of which are mentioned in the AEIOU tips, and it can also be thought of as a spectrum. Some other causes include brain injury, arrhythmia, and electrolyte imbalances.
When a medical team is considering causes, it is helpful to differentiate the most common causes based on age, and comorbidities. Treatment and workup will be targeted to the likely causes.
Life-saving steps can be to check for arousability, breathing, and pulse. Start early CPR. Call for help (911).
Immediate treatment of unconsciousness can result in improved awareness, and it can also prevent death or lasting health effects. Treatment involves urgent care to manage the immediate problem, as well as long-term care.
Treatment can include:
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What causes unconsciousness?
Any illness or condition that severely affects brain function can cause unconsciousness. This can include head trauma, heart disease, breathing problems, infections, drugs, and more.
What is unconsciousness?
Unconsciousness is a lack of awareness and a lack of responsiveness.
How do you treat unconsciousness?
You should call for emergency medical help, and in the meantime, you can administer CPR or other first aid if it is needed and if you know how to do it.
What are the stages of unconsciousness?
There are several definitions of stages of consciousness. Full alertness is a state of normal consciousness. Lethargy is an impaired state of consciousness. Unconsciousness is a severely impaired state of consciousness. Brain death is a state in which the brain is not functioning.
A Word From Verywell
4 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Maiese K.Overview of coma and impaired consciousness. Merck Manual Professional Version.MedlinePlus.Unconsciousness—first aid.Morrissey T.Altered mental status. Society for Academic Emergency Medicine.Sattin D, Magnani FG, Bartesaghi L, et al.Theoretical models of consciousness: A scoping review.Brain Sci. 2021 Apr 24;11(5):535. doi:10.3390/brainsci11050535
4 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Maiese K.Overview of coma and impaired consciousness. Merck Manual Professional Version.MedlinePlus.Unconsciousness—first aid.Morrissey T.Altered mental status. Society for Academic Emergency Medicine.Sattin D, Magnani FG, Bartesaghi L, et al.Theoretical models of consciousness: A scoping review.Brain Sci. 2021 Apr 24;11(5):535. doi:10.3390/brainsci11050535
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Maiese K.Overview of coma and impaired consciousness. Merck Manual Professional Version.MedlinePlus.Unconsciousness—first aid.Morrissey T.Altered mental status. Society for Academic Emergency Medicine.Sattin D, Magnani FG, Bartesaghi L, et al.Theoretical models of consciousness: A scoping review.Brain Sci. 2021 Apr 24;11(5):535. doi:10.3390/brainsci11050535
Maiese K.Overview of coma and impaired consciousness. Merck Manual Professional Version.
MedlinePlus.Unconsciousness—first aid.
Morrissey T.Altered mental status. Society for Academic Emergency Medicine.
Sattin D, Magnani FG, Bartesaghi L, et al.Theoretical models of consciousness: A scoping review.Brain Sci. 2021 Apr 24;11(5):535. doi:10.3390/brainsci11050535
Meet Our Medical Expert Board
Share Feedback
Was this page helpful?Thanks for your feedback!What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit
Was this page helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit
What is your feedback?
