Whooping cough symptoms and treatment

We often hear about children suffering from whooping cough. So what is whooping cough? Does whooping cough only happen in children? What are the symptoms of whooping cough? What factors cause whooping cough? What methods can we use to treat whooping cough? The answers to these questions require us to have an in-depth understanding of whooping cough. Let’s take a look at the introduction to whooping cough below.

Whooping cough is caused by Bordetella pertussis. Whooping cough not only occurs in children, but also in some adults. There are many methods we can use to treat whooping cough.

Symptoms of whooping cough

1. The incubation period is generally 7 to 10 days and can be as long as 21 days.

2. The clinical course can be divided into three stages.

(1) Catarrhal stage

It usually takes about 1 to 2 weeks from the onset of the disease to the onset of spasmodic cough. The initial symptoms are similar to those of a cold. In addition to coughing, there may be runny nose, sneezing, and mild fever. There may also be only a dry cough that does not attract attention. When other symptoms gradually disappear, the cough becomes worse, becoming lighter during the day and heavier at night, gradually turning into a spasmodic cough.

(2) Spasmodic cough stage

Generally it is 2 to 6 weeks (from a few days to more than 2 months). Paroxysmal and spasmodic cough is the characteristic of this period. During an attack, there are frequent and uninterrupted short coughs of more than ten or dozens of times as exhalation, and finally a deep inhalation. Because the throat is still in spasm at this time, it is accompanied by a high-pitched cock-like roar, and then the next spasmodic cough occurs. This attack is repeated many times until thick sputum is coughed up. When the cough is severe, there may be incontinence of stool and urine, the hands will be clenched into fists with elbows bent, eyes will be wide open, face will be flushed, tears and snot will flow, head will be tilted forward, mouth will be open and tongue will be stuck out, lips will be cyanotic, etc. The expression is extremely painful and the cough will stop after vomiting. In mild cases, it happens several times a day, and in severe cases, it happens dozens of times a day, mostly at night. It can be triggered by running, eating, catching a cold, smoking, crying, etc. There are usually no obvious signs before an attack.

(3) Intermission

There is nothing special about the situation. During spasmodic coughing, the pressure in the superior vena cava increases, the return blood flow to the heart is obstructed and blood stasis occurs. Facial and eyelid edema is common. When the coughing is severe, epistaxis, hemoptysis, subconjunctival hemorrhage, and even intracranial hemorrhage may occur. Frequent spasmodic coughing often affects the sleep of children, causing them to feel tired, inactive, and have a loss of appetite. Coupled with vomiting and secondary infection, this can lead to nutritional disorders. If there is no secondary infection, the child's body temperature is generally normal, and there are no positive signs or irregular rales in the lungs.

3. Newborns and young infants

There is often no typical spasmodic cough, but it manifests as paroxysmal breath-holding cyanosis, which can easily lead to suffocation and convulsions. The breathing action can stop during the exhalation phase, with the heart rate first speeding up, then slowing down, and even stopping. If artificial respiration, oxygen administration and other active rescue measures are not performed in time, the person may suffocate and die.

4. Whooping cough in adults

In recent years, there has been an increasing trend of pertussis among adolescents and adults, accounting for 10.2% of the total cases during epidemics. A group of adults with pertussis confirmed by bacterial culture, with an average age of 35 years, have typical symptoms and vomiting after coughing, but may also have only a dry cough for several weeks, and rarely have complications. Most of them can still continue to work. Although they do not suffer much pain, they can be a source of infection, especially threatening children, and should be taken seriously.

Treatment of whooping cough

1. Treatment principles

(1) General treatment is to isolate the respiratory tract, keep the air fresh, and avoid all factors that may induce spasmodic cough. Good care to prevent complications. Pay attention to nutrition.

(2) Antibiotic treatment should be used during the catarrhal or early spasmodic stage to reduce infectiousness, alleviate symptoms and shorten the course of the disease.

2. Symptomatic treatment

Expectorants and cough suppressants such as ammonium chloride. Salbutamol (Albuterol) 0.5 mg/kg can relieve cough symptoms. Chlorpromazine and other drugs can reduce nighttime coughing and help with sleep. When an infant is choking, artificial respiration and oxygen should be given immediately, and antispasmodics and expectorants should be given if necessary. Procaine can be used by intravenous drip, 1 to 2 times a day for 3 to 5 days to reduce suffocation or convulsions. At the same time, pay attention to heart rate and blood pressure. Dehydrating agents can be used for pertussis encephalopathy. If there is hypocalcemia, hypoglycemia, etc., symptomatic treatment should be given.

3. Treatment of complications

Provide appropriate treatment according to the type of comorbidity.

4. Corticosteroids

It is only used for short-term use in critically ill patients, such as infants or those with encephalopathy. Prednisolone is taken orally. Or hydrocortisone given intravenously. Be aware of the side effects of hormones.

5. External application therapy

Slice fresh ginger or garlic, apply snail liquid or egg white to the sternum from top to bottom, twice a day, for a few minutes each time.

Above we introduced what whooping cough is. We know that the occurrence of whooping cough has serious effects on the patient's body, so we need to know the symptoms of whooping cough. Above we introduced the symptoms of whooping cough in detail and introduced the treatment methods of whooping cough. I hope the above introduction is helpful to everyone.