What’s the exact difference between unconsciousness and coma? Can someone lie unconscious for a long period of time, even seen by visitors, and not be considered comatose?
Unconsciousness is an umbrella term for a state in which someone is not aware of their surroundings and is unable to respond to stimuli, such as talking or pain. There are different types of unconsciousness that fall under that umbrella.
The Glasgow Coma Scale is what medical professionals use to measure consciousness. It has 3 parts:
The number next to the response indicates the number of points someone gets for each category. For example, someone who opens their eyes to someone talking to them (3 points), can talk but is confused (4 points), and can obey commands like "squeeze my hand" (6 points) would score a 13.
To be considered unconscious, someone has to score 8 or less.
Coma is any period of unconsciousness lasting 6 or more hours.
