Former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak has slipped into a full coma, according to a spokesman for the country's interior minister.

"Mubarak entered today into full coma. His two sons Gamal and Alaa submitted a request to the prison authority to move beside him and it has been accepted," ministry spokesman Alaa Mahmoud told CNN.

"His health has been deteriorating since the verdict [a life sentence on 2 June], with high blood pressure, problems breathing, and irregular heartbeat."

His sons face charges of insider trading and money laundering.

The former president's health conditions deteriorated since moving to prison to serve life sentence (Twitter)

The ousted president, 84, who has been in critical condition since he started his sentence for failing to stop the killing of protesters in 2011, was reportedly defibrillated twice after his heart stopped.

"He has been in and out of consciousness and has been refusing food," a source told AFP.

Sources inside Tora's prison said Mubarak's health deteriorated after the visits of his wife Suzanne and his sons.

Authorities have refused family requests to transfer Mubarak back to a military facility.

His wife reportedly lashed out at wardens for not giving her husband permission to seek treatment outside prison. "You will be responsible for his death," she said.

To contact the editor, e-mail: