brain, spinal cord, and nerve disorders
Vegetative State
Prognosis for Vegetative State
Some people spontaneously recover from a vegetative state, but recovery is usually incomplete. The chances of recovery depend on the cause and extent of the brain damage and the person's age, as for the following: Some recovery is more likely if the cause is a head injury, a reversible metabolic abnormality (such as low blood sugar), or a drug overdose rather than a major stroke or cardiac arrest. Younger people may recover more use of their muscles than older people, but differences in recovery of mental function, behavior, and speech are not significant. If a vegetative state lasts for more than a few months, people are unlikely to recover consciousness. If people do recover, they are likely to be severely disabled. Any recovery from a vegetative state is unlikely after 1 month if the cause was anything other than a head injury. If the cause was a head injury, recovery is unlikely after 12 months. However, a few people improve over a period of months or years. Rarely, improvement occurs late. After 5 years, about 3% of people recover the ability to communicate and understand, but few can live independently, and none can function normally. Most people who remain in a vegetative state die within 6 months of the original brain damage. Most of the others live about 2 to 5 years. The cause of death is often a respiratory or urinary tract infection or severe malfunction (failure) of several organs. But death may occur suddenly, and the cause may be unknown. A few people live for several years. There have been reports of people regaining some awareness after spending years in what appears to be in a vegetative state or coma. These reports often involve people who had been in a minimally conscious state, usually after a head injury. Chances of recovery from a minimally conscious state are unpredictable but better than those from a vegetative state. 