Whooping cough is a very contagious disease caused by a bacterial infection of the respiratory tract. Whooping cough, also known as pertussis, is caused by the bacterium Bordetella pertussis. The hallmark symptoms of whooping cough are violent coughing fits following by a whooping sound made when gasping for air.
Whooping cough is highly preventable through vaccination. Whooping cough can be very serious and result in life-threatening complications, especially in infants less than six months of age.
In the early twentieth century, whooping cough was a leading cause of illness and death in infants and children. However, the devastation of whooping cough declined after the invention of the whooping cough vaccine, which is combined with diphtheria and tetanus vaccines. More recently, whooping cough is again on the rise in the U.S.
The whooping cough virus spreads from person to person when someone with the whooping cough talks, coughs, or sneezes. This shoots droplets contaminated with Bordetella pertussis bacteria into the air where they can be breathed in by others.
Infection by the Bordetella pertussis bacteria leads to typical symptoms of the whooping cough, including violent episodes of coughing. Complications of whooping cough can be serious, even life-threatening, especially in infants. For additional symptoms and complications, refer to symptoms of whooping cough.
People at risk for getting the whooping cough include anyone who has not been vaccinated for the disease and is exposed to a person with the disease. Children younger than six months of age are especially at risk. In addition, immunity from vaccination wears off as a person ages, leaving adolescents and adults less protected from whooping cough then they were as children.
Making a diagnosis of whooping cough involves taking a thorough health history, including symptoms and vaccination history, and performing a physical exam. Blood tests and cultures of nasal or throat secretions may be done to check for bacteria. Some medical testing may be done to rule out or confirm other diseases with similar symptoms, such as pneumonia, bronchitis, or influenza.
It is possible that a diagnosis of whooping cough can be delayed or overlooked because the symptoms of whooping cough can resemble symptoms or other diseases. For information on diseases that can mimic whooping cough, refer to misdiagnosis ofwhooping cough.
Treatment of the whooping cough includes antibiotics and may involve hospitalization. For more information on treatment, refer to treatment of whooping cough. ...more »
Whooping Cough: Highly communicable, vaccine-preventable disease that lasts for many weeks and is typically manifested in children ... more about Whooping Cough.
Whooping Cough: An infectious condition caused by the bacteria Bordetella pertussis. More detailed information about the symptoms, causes, and treatments of Whooping Cough is available below.
Early symptoms of the whooping cough may be mild and include a runny nose, dry cough, and low-grade fever. Within a few days, symptoms get worse and coughing becomes severe in fits or episodes of coughing that can last up to one minute. During the episodes of coughing the face can become red or blue (cyanosis) due to a lack of oxygen. The episodes of coughing are followed by the ...more symptoms »
Treatment of whooping cough starts with prevention. The best protection from getting or spreading the whooping cough is getting vaccinated as recommended with the whooping cough vaccine. Preventing the spread of whooping cough and other contagious diseases also includes covering the mouth and nose with an elbow or a tissue when sneezing or coughing and washing hands ...more treatments »
A diagnosis of the whooping cough is generally made from information obtained by taking a thorough health history, including symptoms and vaccination history, and performing a physical exam. Misdiagnosing whooping cough is possible because the symptoms, especially early symptoms, can be vague and similar to symptoms of other diseases. These include upper respiratory infection, cold, ...more misdiagnosis »
See full list of 43 symptoms of Whooping Cough
See full list of 16 treatments for Whooping Cough
Home medical testing related to Whooping Cough:
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Visit our research pages for current research about Whooping Cough treatments.
The US based website ClinicalTrials.gov lists information on both federally and privately supported clinical trials using human volunteers.
Some of the clinical trials listed on ClinicalTrials.gov for Whooping Cough include:
See full list of 74 Clinical Trials for Whooping Cough
Prevention information for Whooping Cough has been compiled from various data sources and may be inaccurate or incomplete. None of these methods guarantee prevention of Whooping Cough.
Read more about prevention of Whooping Cough
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Highly communicable, vaccine-preventable disease that lasts for many weeks and is typically manifested in children with paroxysmal spasms of severe coughing, whooping, and posttussive vomiting. (Source: excerpt from Pertussis: DBMD)
A species of gram-negative, aerobic bacteria that is the causative agent of WHOOPING COUGH. Its cells are minute coccobacilli that are surrounded by a slime sheath. - (Source - Diseases Database)
A disease of the respiratory mucous membrane - (Source - WordNet 2.1)
Whooping Cough is listed as a "rare disease" by the Office of
Rare Diseases (ORD) of the National Institutes of Health
(NIH). This means that Whooping Cough, or a subtype of Whooping Cough,
affects less than 200,000 people in the US population.
Source - National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Ophanet, a consortium of European partners,
currently defines a condition rare when it affects 1 person per 2,000.
They list Whooping Cough as a "rare disease".
Source - Orphanet
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