Whooping cough (also called pertussis) is a highly contagious bacterial infection of the respiratory tract, lungs and breathing tubes which causes violent coughing fits.
The infection causes violent, uncontrollable coughing that can make it difficult to breathe. It’s marked by a severe hacking cough followed by a high-pitched intake of breath that sounds like “whoop.”
The name whooping cough is given due to the characteristic whoop, which follows the intense bout of cough.
Stages of whooping cough
- Prodromal stage – begins with nonspecific cold like symptoms that progress to a cough.
- Paroxysmal stage – frequent, violent coughing attacks that cause the patient to gasp for breath, resulting in the characteristic sound for which the disease received its name whooping cough.
- Convalescent stage – resolution of symptoms and disease.
Possible Causes
- It is caused by bacteria called Bordetella pertussis and is mainly seen in infants and children though it can happen to adults too.
- When an infected person coughs or sneezes, tiny germ-laden droplets are sprayed into the air and breathed into the lungs of anyone who happens to be nearby.
- Non-vaccination against pertussis in infants and adults is the main cause of infection.
SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS
Children often make a “whoop” sound when they try to take a breath after coughing spells, though this classic sound is less common in infants.
This type of severe cough can also cause:
- Vomiting
- Sneezing
- Nasal discharge
- Redness of eyes
- Low-grade fever.
- Blue or purple skin around the mouth
- Dehydration
- Breathing difficulties
- Runny nose
- Nasal congestion
- Cough gradually increases becoming persistent and in long bouts of 5 – 20 in a span of few seconds, tend to worse at night.
- Congestion of neck veins, eyes, blueness of nails and face, bulging of eyes and protrusion of eyes during an attack of cough.
- Extreme fatigue
After a week or two, signs and symptoms worsen.
Thick mucus accumulates inside your airways, causing uncontrollable coughing. Severe and prolonged coughing attacks may:
- Provoke vomiting
- Result in a red or blue face
- Cause extreme fatigue
- End with a high-pitched “whoop” sound during the next breath of air
Whooping cough can be dangerous.
While whooping cough can affect people at any age, it can be deadly for infants and young children.
Babies under 6 months old have increased chances of problems including:
- Dehydration
- Breathing difficulties
- Pneumonia
- Fits (seizures)
Whooping cough is less severe in older children and adults but coughing may cause problems including:
- Nosebleeds
- Sore ribs
- Hernia
Acute complications of coughing include:
- Fainting spells (syncope) after coughing fits
- Insomnia from coughing at night
- Cough-induced vomiting
- Red eyes caused by subconjunctival haemorrhages due to forceful coughing
- Involuntary urination due to coughing.
Chronic complications include:
- Abdominal and pelvic hernia
- Fatigue
- Fractures of lower ribs
- Inflammation of the chest wall (costochondritis)
Possible complications
Infants with whooping cough require close monitoring to avoid potentially dangerous complications due to lack of oxygen.
Serious complications include:
- Pneumonia and ear infection can arise as complications.
- Brain damage
- Seizures
- Bleeding in the brain
- Apnoea (slowed or stopped breathing)
- Convulsions (uncontrollable, rapid shaking)
- Death
Older children and adults can experience complications as well, including:
- Difficulty sleeping
- Urinary incontinence (loss of bladder control)
- Pneumonia
- Rib fracture
Prevention and treatment.
- Get plenty of rest
- Drink lots of fluids
- Blood examination
- Strict hospitalization for infants with isolation is a must.
- Prevention can be done by avoiding contact with the affected person
- Vaccination against the disease is mandatory.
- Boost your immune system – a strong adaptable immune system will be able to tackle this cough head on.
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