R40: Somnolence, stupor and coma

R40.1: Stupor

If a person’s consciousness is disordered, they will be in an abnormal, sleep-like state. The person is then very drowsy. It may be that in this state the person is unable to say where they are or what day it is. The person can only be woken up for a short time by strong stimuli. This kind of stimulus can be a pain stimulus, for example. The body is still able to react to the pain stimulus, by moving the body part concerned.

One’s consciousness can be disordered if the brain is not functioning properly. For various reasons, the brain is no longer able to function properly. The brain may have been damaged. The brain can be damaged by injury, pathogens or other diseases, for example.