What is whooping cough? Causes, Symptoms and Methods of Treatment

Infectious respiratory diseases are considered one of the most common problems. That is why many are interested in questions about what pertussis is and how it manifests itself. After all, children of preschool age are most prone to this disease.

What is whooping cough and what are its causes?

As you know, this disease has an infectious origin. The causative agent of pertussis, the bacterium Bordatella pertussis, affects the lower parts of the respiratory system. It should be noted immediately that the only source of pathogenic microorganisms is the infected person, including a hidden carrier, whose symptoms do not manifest. Infection is transmitted through the air along with saliva and secretions of the mucous membrane.

What is pertussis, and what are its symptoms?

Getting into the respiratory tract, microorganisms attach to the mucous membranes, where they begin to multiply actively. The incubation period, as a rule, lasts from 5 to 14 days. After this, the patient has mild indisposition: sick children complain of fatigue and drowsiness, a runny nose and a mild dry cough. At this stage, signs of whooping cough resemble an ordinary cold. At the same time, it is during this period that the disease is most contagious.

But as the disease develops, the clinical picture becomes more pronounced. The fact is that bacterial sticks throw out the products of their vital activity into the lumen of the bronchial ways - for the human body these substances are toxic and are capable of provoking an allergic reaction. The main sign of whooping cough is a paroxysmal dry cough, during which the child simply can not breathe normally. In some cases, you can see how the skin on the face becomes cyanotic, and the neck swells the veins. Quite often the cough ends with vomiting. Attacks, as a rule, are repeated from 5 to 50 times a day, and the heaviest of them occur at night.

It is interesting that coughing can trigger dust into the respiratory tract, fear or nervous overexertion.

How to treat whooping cough?

Noticing the child's strong suffocating cough, it is immediately to call the pediatrician. Only a specialist knows exactly what pertussis is, and can correctly diagnose the disease. Most often, treatment takes place at home, hospitalization is only required in the most severe cases.

Therapy directly depends on the state of the child and the stage of the disease. For example, in the early stages it is advisable to use antibiotics that can quickly purify the body of pathogenic microbes.

But if the patient is already suffering from bouts of severe cough, such antibacterial drugs are unlikely to help. In such cases, as a rule, prescribe antihistamines (for example, tavegil, dimedrol), which relieve spasm of the bronchi and facilitate breathing. Sometimes it is advisable to take calcium gluconate, since this substance also has anti-allergic properties. In severe heat, patients are recommended to take antipyretic and anti-inflammatory drugs.

At all it is not necessary to try to be engaged in a selftreatment or at all to ignore whooping cough - consequences can be extremely serious, especially for a children's organism. Yes, sometimes spasmodic cough passes by itself, but attacks come back with a decrease in immune defense or colds. In addition, pertussis can provoke pneumonia. That's why it's important to follow all the doctor's recommendations.

As for prophylaxis, small children are vaccinated against pertussis who are very effective. The statistics confirm that only 20% of the children after the vaccination still had this disease, but in a lighter form.