Whooping cough is a common infectious pathology of the respiratory tract, which can cause partial intoxication of the body. This disease is accompanied by a strong paroxysmal cough. It is mainly diagnosed in children, especially infants, since their immunity is more susceptible to external influences. Although adolescents and adults who have not been vaccinated can also get whooping cough.
What is a disease?
Provoke the development of whooping cough bacteria Bordatella pertussis. This respiratory tract disease is highly contagious, and almost everyone becomes ill after contact with an infected person. Whooping cough was previously considered exclusively a childhood disease, but recently the number of infected adults and adolescents has increased. This pathology is difficult at any age.
In whooping cough, the latent period is from 2 to 14 days. Such an infection is transmitted exclusively by airborne droplets. The total duration of the disease is at least 6 weeks. Vaccination against whooping cough does not completely protect the body, even having been ill, you can get infected again.
The disease is divided into two forms: abortive and atypical. In the lastcase of coughing attacks are rare, without a strong increase in temperature. The abortive form is characterized by acute development. First, a sore throat appears, then a cough occurs with whooping cough without sharp spasms. After a few days, the symptoms of the disease can go away on their own. But it should be remembered that whooping cough is a dangerous pathology, and if it is not detected in time, complications may arise, sometimes deadly.
Causes of bacterial infection
The main source of the spread of the disease is an infected person. Pathologies with an atypical or erased form of the course are most dangerous.
The spread of the disease is difficult to prevent because the incubation period cannot be seen and catarrhal whooping cough is too mild. That is why many do not pay attention to the first symptoms of the disease. The patient becomes alarmed when the whooping cough coughing fits last for several minutes, making breathing very difficult. Given these features of the course of the disease and the onset of its development, it is not surprising that the isolation of an infected person in many cases comes with a delay.
It should be noted that there have been cases of infection from domestic and wild animals, however, the pathology in this case is considered a pertussis-like disease. At the same time, the person is also worried about coughing.
Whooping cough symptoms
As already mentioned, the disease lasts approximately 5-6 weeks. It is divided into three main stages: catarrhal, paroxysmal and convalescent.
The catarrhal stage can last 14 days. During the prodromal period, a person is worried about a constant dry cough. Whooping cough at this stage passes without fever. It is at this stage that the diagnosis is often mistaken. The patient can be diagnosed with bronchitis or SARS. With the development of the disease, a strong cough appears. Whooping cough at this stage is highly contagious, but stopping it at this stage is much easier.
The bacteria that causes this infection lose their activity daily, and by the end of the third week they are completely weakened. But even during this period of time, the patient can manage to infect many people who surround him.
After 2-3 weeks after infection, the paroxysmal stage occurs. At this stage, a spasmodic cough occurs. Outside of the attacks, the patient feels well, his behavior remains the same. When a spasm approaches in babies, they are nervous, complaining of a sore throat. Then the cough (with whooping cough in children it gradually increases) becomes paroxysmal and convulsive. It makes it hard to breathe.
When the condition returns to normal (as a rule, this happens after 12 shocks), air enters the respiratory tract with a whistle. This moment is called a reprise.
During an attack, there are from 3-6 cough spasms with reprisals. In this case, the face of an infected person turns blue or reddens, the tongue sticks out forward, and veins swell on the neck. Even with such attacks, convulsions may occur or spontaneous urination may occur. Possible loss of consciousness. That's why parents need to know what kind of coughwhooping cough to avoid relapses.
Even at the end of the spasm, a lot of viscous and thick sputum is separated, sometimes it comes to vomiting. An attack occurs for various reasons, for example, due to violent emotions, sudden noise or fuss. In the paroxysmal period, the temperature rarely rises. But whooping cough often accompanies a cough at night, which prevents sleep.
After that, the recovery phase begins. It is believed that this stage begins from the second month of the disease, the general state of he alth improves, and the cough becomes more rare.
Post-illness condition
Cough after whooping cough can disturb a person who has been ill with this pathology for a long time. He can remind himself for a long time, it all depends on immunity. Residual cough is asthmatic and allergic in nature, so it is better to be examined.
The presence of such a symptom is explained by the fact that during the disease the cough center is strongly irritated, and after the cure, the overexcited cells provoke a cough for some time after whooping cough. During such a period, doctors advise to beware of various infections.
How to detect the disease?
This airway pathology is difficult to diagnose. It is often confused with a para-pertussis-like infection. However, it should be remembered that the causative agent of this disease is transmitted only by airborne droplets. The cough for whooping cough in children and adults is so specific that a doctor can only determine the disease by hearing an infected person.
Before making a diagnosis, doctorfirst collects an anamnesis about the patient. The findings often point to a possible infection during patient contact with a person who has previously been infected with whooping cough. After all, this disease cannot appear against the background of acute respiratory diseases or be a complication of other infections.
When diagnosing, it is difficult to distinguish this pathology from existing chronic ailments during an exacerbation and occupational respiratory diseases.
The symptomatology of whooping cough suggests the presence of this particular disease, since the cough with it is quite specific. To clarify the proposed diagnosis, the patient is taken a sowing of cough discharge to study a special environment and the microflora developing on it. In addition, additional examinations are carried out to assess the general condition of the patient.
Complications of Whooping Cough
As already known, young children, especially infants, are most susceptible to this disease. Moreover, babies are able to tolerate whooping cough without coughing. But it is they who have a high probability of complications after the disease. Most often, this bacterial infection leads to the following problems:
- dehydration;
- temporary delay or cessation of breathing;
- pneumonia (in other words, pneumonia);
- weight loss due to frequent vomiting;
- convulsions;
- brain dysfunction;
- kidney failure requiring temporary dialysis.
Moreover, brain disorders and pneumoniacan lead to negative consequences, up to death. True, such cases are rare.
Adults and older children with this disease also develop complications, but not as often as in babies, and it is easier to tolerate. Less severe effects of whooping cough include bruising of the ribs and bleeding from the nose due to severe coughing, as well as swelling of the face, the formation of ulcers in the mouth and tongue. Among other things, otitis media may develop.
If a pregnant woman is infected with whooping cough, then she may face a spontaneous miscarriage. Of course, such cases are extremely rare, since adults in most cases are vaccinated against this disease. Nevertheless, this also happens. When carrying a child, the severe course of the disease is especially dangerous, when up to 30 coughing attacks occur per day. This bacterial infection can also affect the development of the baby.
It must be remembered that coughing with whooping cough is the main symptom of this pathology. To avoid these consequences, you should immediately consult a doctor when the mentioned symptom appears.
How to get rid of the disease with medication?
Cough with whooping cough is very difficult to treat. Treatment of this pathology is usually carried out at home, they are sent to the hospital if the patient has impaired circulation of the brain and the respiratory system.
Because a person suffers from a severe cough during the development of this bacterial infection, doctorstrying in various ways to alleviate his condition. To cure whooping cough, the following drugs are prescribed:
- Mucolytic drugs. They are mainly used in the form of inhalations to thin the sputum to allow it to flow freely.
- Broncholytics. They prevent the occurrence of spasms and contribute to the expansion of the lumen of the bronchi.
- Vasodilators and sedatives. Such drugs help improve blood circulation in the brain, thereby preventing the development of oxygen starvation.
- Antitussives. They are rarely prescribed, as they have low effectiveness in whooping cough.
If you follow all the doctor's recommendations, you will be able to quickly cure whooping cough. How long the cough lasts after this depends on the degree of neglect of the disease. In general, therapy for such an infection is carried out according to individual prescriptions, because the course of the disease is different for each person.
For example, if a child is infected with whooping cough, or a severe degree of development of the pathology is observed, the risk of developing hypoxia increases. In this case, oxygen therapy is carried out. During this procedure, through a special tent for babies or a mask, air enriched with pure oxygen is supplied to the child's body. They also perform nootropic treatment to improve brain metabolism.
In addition, they may prescribe a two-day intake of glucocorticosteroids to eliminate whooping cough. In this case, cough treatment is effective: the intensity of attacks decreases, a short-term stop is eliminated.breathing.
In the event that a person suffering from whooping cough has hypersensitivity or individual intolerance to any drugs, doctors prescribe antihistamines. During the period of rehabilitation and recovery, patients are advised to take vitamins, especially groups B, A and C. They will help improve immune functions and quickly restore the body after an illness.
It should be noted that it is advisable to treat whooping cough in adults with antibiotics only in the first 10 days of illness or with the development of complications such as pneumonia and bronchitis. Otherwise, antibiotics are powerless.
Fighting infection with non-traditional methods
Traditional medicine will help relieve coughing with whooping cough. Asparagus tincture has proven itself well in the treatment of this disease. To prepare it, you will need the shoots of this plant, which should be crushed, added to a thermos, pour boiled water and leave for 3 hours. The finished drink is consumed one tablespoon several times a day after meals.
Relieve cough with whooping cough with herbal preparation, consisting of thyme, anise fruits, pine buds, knotweed, dill seeds and licorice root. All these components should be mixed in equal proportions (1 teaspoon each) and poured with water for infusion. After a few hours, the mixture should be put on fire and boiled for 2 minutes. The resulting broth should be cooled, and then strain well. It should be consumed half an hour before meals 3 times a day, 150 ml each.
Positivethe result in whooping cough is honey with black radish. For the preparation of this drug, a large root crop is used. First, the radish is thoroughly washed, after which the upper part is cut off from it and a little pulp is removed from the inside. Honey is poured into the resulting recess and, having covered the root crop with the cut out part, it is left for 2.5 hours to extract the juice. Then this mixture is taken 1 small spoon at least 5 times a day before meals. Moreover, radish juice with honey is allowed to be given to children for the treatment of whooping cough. This therapy lasts until the disease enters the stage of recovery. With such a tool, it will be possible not only to alleviate the patient's condition, but even avoid the development of complications.
Another effective remedy for whooping cough is a mixture of honey and sunflower seeds. It is not difficult to prepare it: first, the seeds are dried in a pan or in the oven, then they are crushed and poured with water and honey. Such a remedy is brought to a boil and boiled until half the contents remain in the pan. The broth is cooled, filtered and drunk throughout the day in small sips.
To cure whooping cough at home will help essential oils of camphor and fir, vinegar 6%. These ingredients are mixed in equal proportions until a homogeneous mass is obtained. A small piece of tissue is moistened in it, which is then squeezed out and applied to the upper chest. It is better to do a compress in the evening before going to bed. This procedure is not recommended for persons under the age of 13.
You can eliminate the symptoms of whooping cough with onion syrup, which is easy to make. Forfirst you need to finely chop the onion without the husk and put it in a glass container. Add another 4 tablespoons of sugar to this container, then close it with a lid and leave for 4 hours. During this time, the onion will secrete enough juice, which will become a cure for whooping cough. It is necessary to drink such a syrup throughout the day, 1 small spoonful every 2 hours. The therapeutic course lasts until complete recovery.
Subsidiary measures
Even after whooping cough is cured, coughing will still bother a person for a long time. Therefore, doctors recommend walking often and a lot to improve the protective functions of the body. It’s great if you have the opportunity to spend this time in the country or in the village, visit the forest and near the reservoir. Moist air without exhaust gases, saturated with oxygen, will help you recover faster after illness.
Whooping cough is not a seasonal disease, like influenza or SARS, so you can catch it even in summer. In winter, hypothermia should be avoided while walking. It is necessary to constantly carry out wet cleaning, especially in the children's room. On top of that, get rid of carpets, soft toys, and other items that accumulate dust.
If it was not possible to avoid the disease, then the room should be cleaned of allergens that provoke the occurrence of coughing. It is advisable to use a humidifier for such purposes. When the air in the room is hot and dry, sputum (already viscous) comes out with difficulty during spasm, which can lead to the development of complications.
In whooping cough, not only drugs are prescribed, but alsomake up a diet:
- Foods enriched with B vitamins are added to the diet - eggs, chicken liver, cottage cheese.
- It is forbidden to eat smoked and fried foods.
- It is not recommended to drink tea, alcohol and coffee.
It is best to eat mashed soups with such a pathology. And you need to eat fractionally - in small portions and at least 6 times a day.
How not to get whooping cough?
Despite the fact that this pathology is highly contagious, today there are ways to help avoid infection. The most effective method is considered to be vaccination.
The child is vaccinated against whooping cough three times - with a break of 6 weeks. Moreover, the first is done starting from the age of three months of the baby's life. Revaccination is carried out when the baby is one and a half years old. After it, immunity against this infection is developed for 5 years. But vaccination, unfortunately, cannot completely protect against whooping cough. It only makes it easier to bear the disease.
Stable immunity is formed after a person recovers from this disease. Although re-infection is possible if the protective functions of the body are weakened for some reason. Whooping cough vaccines such as Infanrix and DTP are used. The first drug is Belgian-made, and the second is Russian. Of course, there are others, but these are the ones most often used in the fight against infection.
Vaccines differ in the type of pertussis component. In DTP, it is whole-celled, and in Infanrix, it is acellular. The latest vaccine is more expensive, although doctors note thatreplacement of drugs does not play a big role and does not reduce efficiency. The Russian vaccination is universal, since it is used to prevent not only whooping cough, but also diphtheria and tetanus. After it, a person produces antibodies that are sensitive to the antigens of bacterial cells.
Adults are not vaccinated against whooping cough, as they have already developed immunity after childhood vaccination. In addition, in the vast majority of cases, a person during his life at least once, but endures this disease, however, in a milder form, taking it for a common cold.
As you know, this pathology is transmitted by airborne droplets, and the most contagious patient is at the first stage of the disease. Therefore, you should know what cough with whooping cough to avoid complications. It is better to isolate an infected person from other family members for 2-3 weeks, depending on the course of the disease. Constantly need to ventilate the room in which it is located. Children of 6-7 years old are mostly susceptible to the development of whooping cough.
