Pertussis, commonly called “whooping cough,” is a highly contagious bacterial disease that can cause uncontrollable, violent coughing. The coughing makes it hard to breathe, and a deep “whooping” sound is often heard when the patient tries to breathe.
Causes and Risk Factors
Whooping cough, an upper respiratory infection, is caused by the Bordetella pertussis or Bordetella parapertussis bacteria. This disease is serious and can cause permanent disability in infants, and even death.
When an infected person sneezes or coughs, tiny droplets of the bacteria move through the air making the disease easy to spread from person to person.
The infection usually lasts about 6 weeks and can affect people of any age. Before vaccines were widely available, whooping cough was most commonly found in infants and young children. Since most children are immunized before entering school now, the higher percentage of pertussis cases is seen among adolescents and adults.
Symptoms
Initial symptoms are similar to the common cold and usually develop about a week after exposure to the bacteria.
About 10-12 days later, severe episodes of coughing will begin. In children, the coughing often ends with a “whooping” noise. When the patient tries to take a breath, the whooping sound is produced. The whooping noise is rare in patients younger than 6 months of age and in adults.
Coughing spells can lead to vomiting or a short loss of consciousness. Choking spells are common in infants.
Pertussis symptoms include:
- Runny nose
- Slight fever (102 °F or lower)
- Diarrhea
Treatment
If started early enough, antibiotics can help the symptoms of pertussis go away more quickly. Unfortunately, most patients are diagnosed too late, and these antibiotics are not very effective. However, antibiotics can help reduce the patient’s ability to spread whooping cough to others.
Children younger than 18 months need constant supervision because their breathing can temporarily stop during coughing spells. Infants with severe cases of whooping cough should be hospitalized.
Sedatives may be prescribed for young children. Cough mixtures and suppressants usually are not very helpful and should NOT be used.
To learn more about pertussis, please visit www.soundsofpertussis.com
