Diabetes affects blood sugar, and too much sugar hyperglycemia and too little sugar hypoglycemia can lead to unconsciousness in the form of diabetic coma or insulin shock, respectively. Substance abuse and alcohol abuse, straining during bowel movement, coughing hard, and breathing quickly hyperventilating may all cause unconsciousness. Confused and incoherent. If the person does not regain consciousness promptly, contact emergency medical services. Even if the person does regain consciousness promptly, a medical evaluation should be given to rule out a serious underlying problem.
Seek emergency medical care if the person: Has stopped breathing. Does not regain consciousness quickly ie, within 5 minutes. Has diabetes. Is pregnant. Is aged greater than Create a personalised content profile. Measure ad performance. Select basic ads. Create a personalised ads profile.
Select personalised ads. Apply market research to generate audience insights. Measure content performance. Develop and improve products. List of Partners vendors. 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.
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 include normal stages of sleep , as well as states of diminished awareness due to illness or medication.
Unconsciousness includes:. 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 or faint before becoming unconscious. Lethargy is 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 to sepsis or septicemia 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 arrest leads 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.
Any sudden loss of consciousness is a medical emergency. Doctors often call this a coma or being in a comatose state. Other changes in awareness can occur without becoming unconscious. These are called altered mental status or changed mental status. They include sudden confusion, disorientation, or stupor.
Unconsciousness or any other sudden change in mental status must be treated as a medical emergency. Unconsciousness can be caused by nearly any major illness or injury. It can also be caused by substance drug and alcohol use. Choking on an object can result in unconsciousness as well.
Brief unconsciousness or fainting is often a result from dehydration, low blood sugar , or temporary low blood pressure. It can also be caused by serious heart or nervous system problems. A doctor will determine if the affected person needs tests. Other causes of fainting include straining during a bowel movement vasovagal syncope , coughing very hard, or breathing very fast hyperventilating.
The person will be unresponsive does not respond to activity, touch, sound, or other stimulation. Being asleep is not the same as being unconscious. A sleeping person will respond to loud noises or gentle shaking.
An unconscious person will not. If you have a medical condition, such as diabetes , always wear a medical alert necklace or bracelet. Loss of consciousness - first aid; Coma - first aid; Mental status change; Altered mental status; Syncope - first aid; Faint - first aid. American Red Cross. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; chap De Lorenzo RA.
PMID: pubmed.
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