coma /kō″mə/ [Gk, koma, deep sleep] , a state of profound unconsciousness, characterized by the absence of spontaneous eye openings, response to painful stimuli, and vocalization. The person cannot be aroused. Coma may be the result of trauma, space-occupying brain tumor, hematoma, cerebral edema, toxic metabolic condition, acute infectious disease with encephalitis, vascular disease, or brain ischemia. See also Glasgow Coma Scale, unconscious.
