Pertussis history and symptoms

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Serge Korjian M.D.; Aditya Govindavarjhulla, M.B.B.S. [2]; Yazan Daaboul, M.D.

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Overview

pertussis is characterized initially by symptoms such as cough, sneezing, and runny nose. After one to two weeks, the cough changes character, with paroxysms of violent coughing followed by an inspiratory "whooping" sound. These paroxysms can last for several months.

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.

The table below summarizes the key symptoms in each stage.

Stage	Key Symptoms
Catarrhal (4-21 days)	Low grade fever Coryza Mild occasional cough
Paroxysmal (1-10 weeks)	Paroxysms of rapid coughs with long inspiratory effort & high-pitched "whoop" at the end of the paroxysms More frequently at night Dyspnea Cyanosis Vomiting
Convalescent (4-21 days)	Persistence of paroxysmal coughs, but less frequently