Slipping into the dark world of oblivion is like hell. By a variety of reasons, unconsciousness ranges in severity from a normal faint to a permanent coma.
Normal consciousness may be defined as the state in which a person is awake, alert and aware of his surrounding environment. Unconsciousness is a sleep-like state, but much deeper, with the person having no awareness of his surroundings and showing no response to any stimuli. This condition can vary in severity, ranging from a transient faint to a prolonged coma. Whatever its immediate cause, the condition only arises because of important changes in the brain.
MECHANISM IN THE BRAIN
How the brain functions in consciousness and unconsciousness is not completely known. However, there are a number of vital areas in the brains that are deeply involved in maintaining consciousness. These are the cerebral cortex, the thalamus, (we have seen about this in other posts.)
The cerebral cortex receives sensory inputs from the main sensory nerves and also from the reticular formation. Nerve routes from around the body branch out to the reticular formation and
feed it a constant stream of electrical signals. This action, in turn, causes the reticular formation to fire off signals to targets all around the brain, to the appropriate centres where the signals are gathered. collated and acted upon. If this driving force slows down. or is prevented from occurring. the cerebral cortex becomes sleepy'. and we become unconscious.
The brain-stem is also important in that,for being responsible in keeping our essential body tasks - such as heartbeat, blood pressure and breathing. Brain stem concentrates complete energy into maintaining brain stem in case of any unconsciousness, So the effected parts are from non-essential section.
LEVELS OF UNCONSCIOUSNESS
The brain's activity can be measured as electrical impulses on a machine called an electroencephalograph, or more simply an EEG. The impulses of the brain are presented as a pattern of electrical waves. This pattern varies according to the degree of alertness or unconsciousness, which provides the alertness of the brain. For example, the speed of the wave generation is very slow during unconscious state, around 3 per sec. It comes around six when you just woke up and feeling drowsy.
The machine is used to determine whether the brain has been severely damaged or even 'died'. If the EEG shows no electrical activity, then the person has almost certainly suffered brain death.
CAUSES
The most common reason for unconsciousness that we are likely to come across is syncope, known as fainting. Fainting can be seen from anything like excessive heat to standing still for long periods, conditions which result in a temporary lack of blood supply to the brain. The resultant lack oxygen forces the brain to 'shut down' for a brief spell until the oxygen supply is restored to normal levels. If, for some reason, the blood supply to the brain regained the person may enter a deeper state of unconsciousness. |
Symptoms of fainting include dizziness, light-headedness and a lack of colour in the face. Someone who has fainted should remain lying down for a few minutes until a full recovery has been made., Never try to make a person who has fainted to get up too soon, or even pulling him to his feet, it can result in a more serious state.
Poisoning by fumes, chemicals or drugs can also cause unconsciousness, though by different means. Stimulants will be given to treat this form of poisoning.
Carbon monoxide poisoning,it happens by replacing the oxygen in the blood which leads to an oxygen deficiency in the brain. Immediate treatment will be taking him away from the polluted area and to provide oxygen source.
Shock can bring on unconsciousness through a collapse of the circulatory system. Once the circulatory system fails to maintain an adequate supply of blood to the brain, then the collection of symptoms known as shock syndrome becomes apparent. This will include sweating, blurring of vision, shallow, rapid breathing and faintness that can drift into unconsciousness.
| Shock like this can be brought on by extensive internal or external bleeding, heart attacks and loss of body fluid due to various illnesses. In cholera, for example, the body becomes so dehydrated that the sufferer actually dies of shock rather than the virus. |
Head injuries are a common cause of unconsciousness and they occur in many sports like rugby and boxing. Unconsciousness may be brought on either through direct injury to brain tissue or through a temporary contraction of blood vessels, which impairs brain function. This condition is known as concussion. and varies considerably in the degree of severity. A return to consciousness may be accompanied by a severe headache, nausea and difficulty in focusing the eyes.
Loss of memory of what happened immediately prior to the injury also occurs, and is one of the main symptoms of concussion. Any one who has been knocked out should see the doctor as soon as possible as there could be a chance of skull damage or internal bleeding.
COMA
A coma is the most extreme form of unconsciousness, a state that is very serious and often long-
lasting. Unlike in sleep, the activity of the brain as a whole is depressed, and even reflex actions like coughing, corneal reflexes and tendon reflexes - are absent. In the very deepest comas, the person may not respond even to the most painful actions.
The usual causes of coma are discussed above, it start with same reasons and will reach an extreme stage. Diabetes may lead to a coma, but thankfully can be controlled. Previously, any kind of coma that lasted for more than 24 hours usually resulted in permanent brain damage, but modern treatment and nursing has done much to change this. However, the longer a coma lasts, the less likelihood there is that a perfect recovery can be made.
In all cases of unconsciousness, treatment depends on the underlying cause, and may range from simple rest and recuperation to surgery. A comatose patient will require long-term care.
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