Whooping cough

General information about a disease

Whooping cough is one of the most widespread infectious diseases. Are extremely susceptible to its activators both children, and adults. It is enough to tell that at people with the weakened immunity at contact with the sick person the probability to ache with whooping cough approaches 100%.

Infestant – the pertussoid stick – strikes only people. Infection happens in the airborne way, and absolutely healthy person can even act as the bacillicarrier. In group of extra risk there are children of early and preschool age who did not manage to gain specific immunity yet. Let's notice also that whooping cough at children aged about one year poses serious hazard to life and health of the kid.

At hit contagiums get into an organism deep into branchings of a bronchial tree where they are attached to walls of respiratory tracts and begin the destructive activity. In the beginning patients have only easy inflammatory phenomena, but in several days whooping cough which symptoms quickly progress, leads to production of toxins. Further they get to blood, extend on all organism and cause serious complications. So, in particular, it is known that toxins irritate a mucous membrane of airways and the central nervous system. As a result, patients become extremely irritable, cannot sleep normally at night, lose appetite.

Whooping cough – symptoms and a clinical picture of a disease

The initial stage of an infection reminds usual ORZ. The patients with whooping cough feel:

• fervescence (usually insignificant – to 37,5 degrees);
• easy indisposition;
• rare dry cough;
• mucous allocations from a nose.

Despite relative harmlessness of symptoms of whooping cough, the patient during this period constitutes the greatest danger to people around. Even at insignificant contact with it not less than 90% of persons, susceptible to whooping cough, for certain will get sick.

For 12-14 day characteristic symptoms of whooping cough appear. At patients spasmodic attacks when the severe cough is replaced by the whistling breath which then passes again into cough begin. At severe forms whooping cough is capable to cause from 2 to 15 cycles "cough breath" during one attack in adults and children. Tussive pushes so strong that at the patient face skin becomes blue, and bulk up cervical veins. During such period whooping cough which treatment is not controlled by specialists can cause an apnoea or kloniko-tonic spasms (twitching of all body) in babies.

Depending on weight of whooping cough, the sick person endures from 5 to 50 attacks a day. At children of preschool age they quite often provoke severe vomiting. Spastic cough proceeds about 1 month then the disease passes into a form, harmless for health. However, cough is observed also during this period, but it not convulsive and passes by itself through few weeks.

Treatment of whooping cough

Children about one year have to be treated without fail in the conditions of a hospital where specialists will carry out the analysis on whooping cough and will be able to prevent development of life-threatening states in time. In a hospital also those children at whom the infection led to emergence of complications are treated. Adult patients are usually treated houses as whooping cough at adults seldom leads to any serious consequences.

What it is necessary to remember at treatment of whooping cough at children? First of all, parents have to take care of creation of such situation which will minimize probability of emergence of spasmodic attacks. The last can be provoked by the most insignificant factors, since a loud conversation of adults and finishing with the unexpected sharp movements. Besides, it is necessary to air carefully the room in which the sick child lies.

Use of antibiotics is reasonable at early stages of a disease when drugs are still capable to suppress development of the activator. If whooping cough at children progressed to spasmodic attacks, then antibiotics will be absolutely inefficient.

During treatment of whooping cough at children accept erythromycin, azithromycin, antiallergic means, antihistaminic drugs (Pipolphenum, Dimedrol, tavegil). The dosage is chosen the attending physician, proceeding from a condition of the patient and his age. For fluidifying of a dense phlegm which is allocated during cough inhalations are used, but you remember that they are not recommended to children up to 3 years.

Prevention of whooping cough

To the children aged from 3 months up to 3 years who did not have whooping cough vaccination is appointed. The course of prevention consists from 3 intramuscular injections which become every 1,5 month. The vaccine or completely prevents development of whooping cough (in 80% of cases), or interferes with emergence of heavy complications if nevertheless the child caught. At the diagnosis whooping cough treatment of the house or in the conditions of a hospital is carried out up to that time until the patient becomes harmless for people around. In the absence of complications it occurs approximately for the 25th day of a disease.