Pertussis

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Respiratory system overview

Pertussis

Definition:

Pertussis is a highly contagious bacterial disease that causes uncontrollable, violent coughing.The coughing canmake it hard to breathe. A deep "whooping" soundis often heardwhen the patienttries totake a breath.

Alternative Names:

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Whooping cough

Causes, incidence, and risk factors:

Pertussis, or whooping cough, isanupper respiratory infection caused bythe Bordetella pertussis or B. parapertussis bacteria. It is a serious disease that can cause permanent disability in infants, and even death.

When an infected person sneezes or coughs, tiny droplets containing the bacteria move through the air, and the disease is easily spread from person to person.Initial symptoms, similiar to the common cold, usually develop abouta week after exposure to the bacteria. Severe episodes of coughing start about 10 to 12 days later. In children, the coughingoften ends with a"whoop" noise. The sound is produced whenthe patient tries to take a breathe.The whoop is rare in patients under 6 months of age and in adults. Coughing spells may lead to vomiting. Pertussis should always be considered when vomiting occurs with coughing. In infants, choking spells are common.

The infection usually lasts 6 weeks.

Whooping cough can affect people of any age. Before vaccines were widely available,the disease was most common in infants and young children. Now that most children are immunized before entering school,the higher percentage of casesis seen among adolescents and adults.

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.