What is the most common complication of pertussis?
What are the complications of pertussis?
- Pertussis in infants is often severe, and infants are more likely than older children or adults to develop complications.
- The most common complication of pertussis is bacterial pneumonia.
- Rare complications include seizures, inflammation of the brain, and death.
Can pertussis affect adults?
Scientific studies suggest that up to 1 in 20 adults with a cough that lasts for more than two or three weeks may have pertussis. The severity of symptoms may vary in adults. Symptoms are often less severe in adults who have gained some protection against whooping cough from a previous immunization or infection.
What body systems are affected by pertussis?
Whooping cough (pertussis) is a highly contagious bacterial infection. Whooping cough spreads easily by coughing and sneezing and mainly affects the respiratory system (the organs that help you breathe, such as your lungs).
Who is at highest risk for pertussis?
Babies younger than 1 year old are most at risk for serious complications from pertussis. Pregnant women are not at increased risk for serious disease. However, experts consider those in their third trimester to be at increased risk since they could expose their newborn to pertussis.
Are there any long term effects of pertussis?
Children who survive a severe case of pertussis can suffer from long-term health and developmental problems, researchers reported in September.
How is pertussis treated in adults?
Several antibiotics are available to treat pertussis. The most popular are azithromycin, clarithromycin and erythromycin. If you have had pertussis for three weeks or more, antibiotics will not be prescribed because the bacteria are already gone from your body.
Does whooping cough cause lung damage?
As symptoms progress, complications may occur, particularly in infants, who can be subject to pneumonia, heart failure, collapsed lung, brain bleeds and even death. In older children and adults, coughing spells may result in loss of bladder control and retching and vomiting, leading to rib fracture.
What are the long term effects of pertussis?
Summary: People born during whooping cough outbreaks are more likely to die prematurely even if they survive into adulthood, new research has found. Women had a 20% higher risk of an early death, and men a staggering 40%.
How does whooping cough affect the immune system?
Another bacterial toxin paralyses some of the body’s immune cells and prevents them from attacking the bacteria. Whooping cough bacteria can also multiply inside the lung tissue and cause pneumonia it can also lead to other pneumonias with different bacteria and viruses.
What causes adult pertussis?
Whooping cough is caused by a bacterium called Bordetella pertussis. The illness is characterized by coughing spells that end with a characteristic “whoop” as air is inhaled. Whooping cough caused thousands of deaths in the 1930s and 1940s. With the advent of a vaccine, the death rate has declined dramatically.
Is whooping cough fatal in adults?
It is named for the “whoop” sound that is made when coughing. Whooping cough is not a major concern for adults. It can be fatal to infants and children who haven’t yet received their pertussis vaccine.
Does whooping cough cause long term lung damage?