How to treat whooping cough in adults? Let's find out in the article below.
Whooping cough is a disease whose name comes from the French language and literally means "cockerel", as its characteristic symptom is a cough that resembles the sounds made by a rooster. This is a pathology of infectious origin. The course of the disease is usually quite severe and is accompanied by a paroxysmal cough, which greatly affects the quality of life of a sick person. Whooping cough is difficult to differentiate, and if left untreated or the wrong therapies are chosen, there is a high risk of developing serious complications.
Description
Whooping cough in adults is provoked by pathogenic microorganisms. It is contagious, almost all contacts with sick people end in infection. For a long time, whooping cough was considered a childhood disease. However, in recent years there have been many cases of infection among adolescents and adults. The course of the disease is severe at any age.
Bacteria incubation periodrelatively small and ranges from two days to two weeks. Transmission of the disease occurs by airborne droplets. The duration of whooping cough is approximately 6 weeks and is divided into three stages. Vaccination against whooping cough does not give a 100% guarantee, just as the transferred disease can start anew with repeated infection. According to statistics, approximately 5% of cases are adults.
Views
Whooping cough in adults is divided into two main types: abortive and atypical. The last variety of whooping cough is characterized by rare bouts of coughing, which does not cause any particular difficulties. At the same time, normal body temperature is noted. Abortive whooping cough is characterized by an acute form of the development of the disease. At the initial stage, there is frequent sore throat, which provokes a cough that is not accompanied by sharp spasms. After a few days, symptoms resolve on their own.
Whooping cough is considered by doctors to be a serious disease. If not diagnosed in a timely manner, there is a high risk of pertussis turning into pneumonia, which is a deadly disease.
Symptoms in adults
The main characteristic symptom of whooping cough in adults is a strong, paroxysmal cough. Depending on the stage, the number of attacks can reach 15 times a day. There are 3 stages in the development of whooping cough:
- Catarrhal. During this period, it is difficult to distinguish whooping cough from a simple cold. Patients have an unproductive cough, runny nose, and may have a fever. If not carried outappropriate treatment, the disease proceeds to the next stage. What other whooping cough do adults get?
- Paroxysmal. The cough becomes paroxysmal. Infectious bacteria actively multiply in the lungs, which leads to the formation of a large amount of sputum. In one attack, up to 15 spasmodic shocks can occur when coughing. At the same time, breathing is difficult, and when inhaling, a characteristic whistle occurs, since a spasm of the glottis occurs in the larynx. It is this characteristic cough that helps the specialist recognize whooping cough at this stage of the disease.
- Recovery. It occurs four weeks after the onset of the disease. Cough at this stage may be accompanied by vomiting, it becomes more frequent, and the attacks become more severe. At the same time, the patient may continue to cough for another month.
Thus, the following characteristic symptoms of whooping cough in adults can be distinguished:
- General deterioration of the patient's condition, accompanied by fever, runny nose, etc.
- Intense spasmodic cough that is initially dry, but then gains strength and becomes productive, with copious sputum.
- The appearance of bleeding from the nose during seizures, vomiting.
- Redness of the patient's face and eyes.
The signs of whooping cough in adults are difficult to confuse. For three weeks after the onset of the disease, a person is contagious to others, as he acts as a carrier of the virus. At the initial stage, the disease is veryresembles a cold, leading to misdiagnosis. The second and third stages are often confused with bronchitis, pneumonia and tuberculosis. How is pertussis diagnosed and treated in adults?
Diagnosis
If a person has symptoms of whooping cough, such as paroxysmal spasmodic cough several times a day, you should immediately consult a doctor. The specialist will prescribe a series of studies to clarify the diagnosis. It is required to conduct a differential diagnosis to rule out SARS, tuberculosis, bronchitis and pneumonia.
As a rule, a blood test, mucus from the nose and sputum for culture and X-ray examination of the lungs are prescribed. Whooping cough is indicated by an increased number of lymphocytes and leukocytes in the blood, as well as an increased rate of erythrocyte precipitation. Cultures for whooping cough show an environment that is favorable for the active reproduction of bacteria. X-ray examination will show an expanded pulmonary tree, a pronounced pattern of the lung, consisting of grid fields and cells.
Drugs
After receiving the results of the patient's examination, the doctor prescribes a therapy that is carried out at home. Hospitalization for adults is not required. With a mild course of the disease without a large number of spasms and intense, severe cough, antibacterial drugs are prescribed. The following drugs are especially effective for whooping cough:
- Erythromycin.
- "Azithromycin".
- Clarithromycin.
If whooping coughoccurs in severe form, treatment with antibiotics alone will not work. Patients who experience hyperreactivity of the airways and, as a result, spasms of the bronchi, may be prescribed in the form of anti-asthma drugs that relieve spasms and swelling. They may also be prescribed antihistamines.
If the inflammation of the pharynx and respiratory tract is pronounced, drugs from the category of corticosteroids are prescribed, the action of which is also aimed at relieving edema and preventing asthma attacks. To relieve cough, various antitussive drugs are prescribed, which help to thin and remove sputum.
Recommendations
During the treatment period, it is necessary to carry out regular ventilation of the room in which the sick person is located. Nutrition should be balanced and with a sufficient content of vitamins. Others must be isolated, especially children, as the risk of infection is very high.
The patient should not be allowed hypothermia, and the room must maintain the humidity level and carry out regular wet cleaning. Whooping cough should be treated promptly. It is important not to allow the development of complications and not to neglect the doctor's recommendations.
Now you know how adult whooping cough is diagnosed and treated. Photos of people who have experienced this disease are presented in the article.
Complications
Incorrect, delayed treatment of whooping cough can lead to serious consequences fororganism. The most dangerous of them are:
- Pneumonia.
- Impaired respiratory function.
- Heart failure.
- Acute laryngotracheitis.
- Bronchiolitis.
The greatest risk of complications in childhood. Every year, out of 50 million people infected with whooping cough, 300,000 die. Most often these are children under one year old.
Quite rarely, encephalopathy occurs against the background of whooping cough. It provokes changes in the brain that lead to convulsions, epilepsy, deafness, and in some cases even death. Most deaths occur in developing countries, where the standard of living and living conditions are lower, there is no hygiene, which provokes the development of infections. In developed countries, whooping cough deaths are 0.04%.
There is no need to panic with such a diagnosis. Now modern drugs are being produced that effectively fight the disease. At the same time, timely therapy ensures the absence of complications.
Pregnancy and Whooping Cough
It is very dangerous for the unborn child to become infected with whooping cough of a woman during gestation. Of particular danger is the disease for the first trimester of pregnancy, when an important stage in the formation of all organs and systems of the unborn child takes place. The disease can lead to the following changes:
- Impaired vision, including partial loss or blindness.
- Hearing impairment, deafness.
- Improper formation of the genitourinary system.
- Changes in the cardiovascular system.
- Violation in the development of bone structures and muscles.
- Pathologies in the development of the organs of the gastrointestinal tract.
- Influence on the central nervous system.
The main sign of illness
The main symptoms of whooping cough in a pregnant woman are enlarged lymph nodes, cough with increasing intensity, runny nose and cough. In some cases, a rash may appear all over the body. When infected with whooping cough, a pregnant woman increases the risk of miscarriage and the development of pathologies.
When infected in the first two months after conception, the risk of abnormal development of the fetus approaches one hundred percent. At later dates, the likelihood of pathologies is less. In some cases, the doctor recommends termination of the pregnancy. If a woman has been in contact with a sick person, it is necessary to pass all the necessary tests to eliminate the risk of infection and start treatment on time.
Prevention
Do adults need a whooping cough vaccine? There are a number of preventive measures that can help prevent infection.
The most reliable way is vaccination. Vaccinations are given with a break of one and a half months to children from the age of three months. Re-vaccination is carried out after a year and a half. Further, immunity is developed, which lasts up to five years. However, re-infection cannot be completely ruled out. Whooping cough prevention in adults should be mandatory.
