Pertussis history and symptoms
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Aditya Govindavarjhulla, M.B.B.S. [2]
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Overview
After a two day incubation period, pertussis in infants and young children is characterized initially by mild respiratory infection symptoms such as cough, sneezing, and runny nose (catarrhal stage). After one to two weeks, the cough changes character, with paroxysms of coughing followed by an inspiratory "whooping" sound (paroxysmal stage). Coughing fits may be followed by vomiting due to the sheer violence of the fit. In severe cases, the vomiting induced by coughing fits can lead to malnutrition. The fits that do occur on their own can also be triggered by yawning, stretching, laughing, or yelling. Coughing fits gradually diminish over one to two months during the convalescent stage.
Symptoms
- The clinical course of the illness is divided into three stages: catarrhal, paroxysmal and convalescent.
- The symptoms vary among stages with the paroxysmal stage being the most severe.
- Pertussis is a prolonged illness that can last from a few weeks to several months.
Shown below is a table summarizing the main findings in each stage.[1]
| Stage | Key Symptoms |
| Catarrhal (4-21 days) |
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| Paroxysmal (1-10 weeks) |
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| Convalescent (4-21 days) |
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