Pertussis medical therapy
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Pertussis Microchapters |
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Diagnosis |
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Treatment |
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Case Studies |
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Pertussis medical therapy On the Web |
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American Roentgen Ray Society Images of Pertussis medical therapy |
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Risk calculators and risk factors for Pertussis medical therapy |
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]
Overview
Treatment with an effective antibiotic (erythromycin or azithromycin) shortens the infectious period but does not generally alter the outcome of the disease; however, when treatment is initiated during the catarrhal stage, symptoms may be less severe. Three macrolides, erythromycin,azithromycin and clarithromycin are used in the U.S. for treatment of pertussis; trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole is generally used when a macrolide is ineffective or is contraindicated. Close contacts who receive appropriate antibiotics (chemoprophylaxis) during the 7–21 day incubation period may be protected from developing symptomatic disease. Close contacts are defined as anyone coming into contact with the respiratory secretions of an infected person in the 21 days before or after the infected person's cough began.