An
altered level of consciousness is any measure of
arousal other than normal.
Level of consciousness (
LOC) is a measurement of a person's arousability and responsiveness to
stimuli from the environment. A mildly depressed level of
consciousness or
alertness may be classed as
lethargy; someone in this state can be aroused with little difficulty. People who are
obtunded have a more depressed level of consciousness and cannot be fully aroused. Those who are not able to be aroused from a sleep-like state are said to be
stuporous.
Coma is the inability to make any purposeful response. Scales such as the
Glasgow coma scale have been designed to measure the level of consciousness.