A Glasgow Coma Scale score of 8 or less indicates what level of brain injury?

A Glasgow Coma Scale score of 8 or less indicates what level of brain injury?

• A. Mild impairment
• B. Normal
• C. Severe brain injury
• D. Coma

Answer: (C)

The Glasgow Coma Scale measures consciousness by three domains—eye opening, verbal response, and motor response—yielding a total from 3 to 15, with lower scores showing deeper impairment. Scores from 3 to 8 are categorized as severe brain injury, reflecting major loss of arousal and responsiveness and typically associated with a coma state. So a score of 8 or less points to severe brain injury rather than mild impairment or normal function. (Note: coma often accompanies this level, but the standard label is severe brain injury.)

The Glasgow Coma Scale measures consciousness by three domains—eye opening, verbal response, and motor response—yielding a total from 3 to 15, with lower scores showing deeper impairment. Scores from 3 to 8 are categorized as severe brain injury, reflecting major loss of arousal and responsiveness and typically associated with a coma state. So a score of 8 or less points to severe brain injury rather than mild impairment or normal function. (Note: coma often accompanies this level, but the standard label is severe brain injury.)