Whooping Cough: Causes, Symptoms
Whooping cough (also known as pertussis) is a bacterial infection that gets into your nose and throat. It spreads very easily, but vaccines like DTaP and Tdap can help prevent it in children and adults.
Symptoms
At first, whooping cough has the same symptoms as the average cold:
- Mild coughing
- Sneezing
- Runny nose
- Low fever (below 102 F)
You may also have diarrhea early on.
After about 7-10 days, the cough turns into “coughing spells” that end with a whooping sound as the person tries to breathe in air.
Because the cough is dry and doesn't produce mucus,
these spells can last up to 1 minute. Sometimes it can cause your face
to briefly turn red or purple.
Most people with whooping cough have coughing spells, but not everyone does.
Infants may not make the whooping sound or even
cough, but they might gasp for air or try to catch their breath during
these spells. Some may vomit.
Sometimes adults with the condition just have a cough that won’t go away.
Treatment
If doctors diagnose whooping cough early on, antibiotics
can help cut down coughing and other symptoms. They can also help
prevent the infection from spreading to others. Most people are
diagnosed too late for antibiotics to work well, though.
Don't use over-the-counter cough medicines, cough suppressants, or expectorants (medicines that make you cough up mucus) to treat whooping cough. They don't work.
If your coughing spells are so bad that they keep you from drinking enough fluids, you risk dehydration. Call your doctor right away.
No comments:
Post a Comment