Rare diseases · Sign or symptom

Coma

HP:0001259

What it means

The complete absence of wakefulness and consciousness, which is evident through a lack of response to any form of external stimuli.

Coma is generally a result of diffuse or extensive involvement of both hemispheres of the brain or lesions in the brainstem.

In everyday care

Most people with this sign do not have a rare disease — it appears in common conditions far more often. These general reference pages cover the same topic:

Rare diseases that can present with this85

The range is how often this sign appears among people diagnosed with each disease — it is not a probability of having any of them. Many of these signs also occur in common, non-rare conditions. A sign on this page is a conversation to have with a clinician, not a conclusion.

Part of the broader category

Also called: Persistent vegetative state · Stupor · Trance · Unconsciousness

Coma

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This page uses the Human Phenotype Ontology (2026-06-23) — Human Phenotype Ontology Consortium, hpo.jax.org. Disease associations from Orphanet (INSERM), CC BY 4.0. Content is educational and is not medical advice.