What is Persistent Vegetative State?
What is Persistent Vegetative State?
- Persistent Vegetative State: Physically alive with basic mental function but without high mental capacity.
- Persistent Vegetative State: A state of prolonged irreversible cessation of all brain activity, including lower brain stem function with the complete absence of voluntary movements, responses to stimuli, brain stem reflexes, and spontaneous respirations. Reversible conditions which mimic this clinical state (e.g., sedative overdose, hypothermia, etc.) are excluded prior to making the determination of brain death. (From Adams et al., Principles of Neurology, 6th ed, pp348-9)
Source - Diseases Database
Persistent Vegetative State is listed as a "rare disease" by the Office of
Rare Diseases (ORD) of the National Institutes of Health
(NIH). This means that Persistent Vegetative State, or a subtype of Persistent Vegetative State,
affects less than 200,000 people in the US population.
Source - National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Persistent Vegetative State: Introduction
Types of Persistent Vegetative State:
Broader types of Persistent Vegetative State:
How serious is Persistent Vegetative State?
Complications of Persistent Vegetative State:
see complications of Persistent Vegetative State
Prognosis of Persistent Vegetative State:
The
outcome for coma and vegetative state depends on the cause and on the
location, severity, and extent of neurological damage: outcomes range from
recovery to death. People may emerge from a coma with a combination of
physical, intellectual, and psychological difficulties that need special
attention. Recovery usually occurs gradually, with patients acquiring more
and more ability to respond. Some patients never progress beyond very
basic responses, but many recover full awareness.
Patients recovering from
coma require close medical supervision. A coma rarely lasts more than 2 to
4 weeks. Some patients may regain a degree of awareness after vegetative
state. Others may remain in a vegetative state for years or even decades.
The most common cause of death for a person in a vegetative state is
infection such as pneumonia.
(Source: excerpt from NINDS Coma Information Page: NINDS)
What causes Persistent Vegetative State?
Causes of Persistent Vegetative State: see causes of Persistent Vegetative State
What are the symptoms of Persistent Vegetative State?
Symptoms of Persistent Vegetative State:
see symptoms of Persistent Vegetative State
Complications of Persistent Vegetative State:
see complications of Persistent Vegetative State
Persistent Vegetative State: Testing
Diagnostic testing: see tests for Persistent Vegetative State.
Misdiagnosis: see misdiagnosis and Persistent Vegetative State.
How is it treated?
Treatments for Persistent Vegetative State:
see treatments for Persistent Vegetative State
Research for Persistent Vegetative State:
see research for Persistent Vegetative State
Organs Affected by Persistent Vegetative State:
Organs and body systems related to Persistent Vegetative State include:
Name and Aliases of Persistent Vegetative State
Main name of condition: Persistent Vegetative State
Other names or spellings for Persistent Vegetative State:
PVS, Brain death
Pemphigus vulgaris
Source - Office of Rare Diseases (ORD) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH)
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