Pertussis

Injury	Disease	Nutrition	Poison

Symptoms	Surgery	Test	Special Topic

Respiratory system overview

Overview

Symptoms

Treatment

Prevention

Pertussis

Alternative Names:

Whooping cough

Symptoms:

runny nose
slight fever (102°F or lower)
severe, repeated coughs that:
- make breathing difficult
- result in vomiting
- produce a high-pitched "whooping" sound when a person takes a breath
- cause a short loss of consciousness
diarrhea
choking spells in infants

Signs and tests:

The initial diagnosis is usually based on the symptoms. However, when the symptoms are not obvious, pertussis may be difficult to diagnose. In very young infants, the symptoms may be caused by pneumomnia instead.

To know for sure, the health care provider may take a sample of mucus from the nose nasal secretions and send it to a lab, which tests it for pertussis. While this can offer an accurate diagnosis, the test some time, and treatment is usually started before the results are ready.

Some patients may have a complete blood count that shows large numbers of lymphocytes.

References:

Braman SS. Postinfectious cough: ACCP evidence-based clinical practice guidelines. Chest. 2006;129(1 Suppl):138S-146S.

US Food and Drug Administration. First Combination Vaccine Approved to Help Protect Adolescents Against Whooping Cough. Rockville, MD: National Press Office; May 3, 2005. Talk Paper T05-17.

Cohn AC. Immunizations in the United States: a rite of passage.Pediatr Clin North Am. 2005; 52(3): 669-93, v.

Review Date: 3/2/2006
Reviewed By: David A. Kaufman, M.D., Assistant Professor, Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care & Sleep Medicine, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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