In the article, we consider the symptoms and treatment of pertussis in adults.
This disease is classified as an acute infectious disease, which is characterized by a strong paroxysmal cough. The causative agent of the disease is pertussis bacillus. This disease can be treated with medications and folk remedies, and hospitalization is only suitable for patients in serious condition.
Symptoms and treatment of pertussis in adults are of interest to many.
What are the forms of whooping cough?
In medicine, there are three forms of this infectious disease:
- Typical whooping cough, when the disease process occurs according to the classical scheme.
- Atypical whooping cough, when there is no pronounced symptomatology, and the patient is only concerned about a paroxysmal cough with periods of disappearance.
- Carrier carrier, against which the patient is a carrier of whooping cough, but does not suffer from this disease, that is, its symptoms are absent.
Infection pathway
Infection with this disease occurs only from an infected person, or from a bacterium carrier. This virus is transmitted to people by airborne droplets. At the same time, a person can be considered contagious not only at the peak of this disease, but also within thirty days after undergoing full-fledged therapy. The incubation period in the presence of whooping cough is from five to fourteen days.
Symptoms and treatment of pertussis in adults are described below.
Symptoms of whooping cough
For this infectious disease, a gradual increase in symptoms is a hallmark. The entire course of the disease can be divided into several stages:
- The incubation stage involves the period from the moment of infection to the onset of the first signs of pertussis in adults.
- The prodromal period, against the background of which a dry and unobtrusive cough appears, which intensifies in the evening and at night. At the same time, people have a fever up to a low-grade indicator (that is, up to thirty-eight degrees). Well-being as a whole does not worsen. It is worth paying attention to the fact that the duration of this period is two weeks. At this time, it is difficult not to notice the symptoms of pertussis in adults. Signs of the disease do not end there.
- Spasmodic stage. For this period, a cough is characteristic, characterized by a paroxysmal character. A distinctive feature of the cough is that it is accompanied by respiratory tremors, which end with a series of convulsive manifestations. At the end of the attacks, sputum is released, often the attack ends with the appearance of vomiting. Immediately at the time of attacks, the patient is excited, his face can turn red, and his tongue will always stick out. The number of seizures per day usually varies from five to forty, more often they occur at night. These are the frightening symptoms of whooping cough in adults.
- Symptoms during the resolution period begin to disappear. At first, seizures with a convulsive movement of the body cease, and the temperature stabilizes.
Even after the absolute cure of pertussis, the patient may be disturbed by a cough, characterized by the absence of cramps and seizures. In the event that a similar symptom is observed within three weeks after removal of the diagnosis, then there is no reason to worry, as this is the norm.
What diagnosis is done at the first sign of pertussis in adults?
Diagnostics
To make a correct diagnosis, the doctor uses several of the following diagnostic methods:
- First of all, complaints are collected for a dry, and, in addition, paroxysmal cough, characterized by wheezing exhalation, fever, general weakness and runny nose.
- Be sure to create a medical history. This takes into account whether there was contact with sick whooping cough or with one of the carriers of the carrier, whether there was recent communication with a regularly coughing person, whether the person has a mark of a whooping cough vaccination, and so on.
- Additionally, a laboratory study of mucus is carried out, which is taken from the pharynx, which makes it possible to determine the causative agent of the disease.
Treatment of symptoms of pertussis in adults (photos on this topic are presented in the article) should be immediate.
Adult Treatment
It is important to note that treatment of pertussis, as a rule, is carried out at home, and hospitalization is prescribed only in case of a severe course of the disease in question, when patients experience disturbances in the functioning of the respiratory and circulatory system of the brain.
Conducting drug therapy
Considering that the patient experiences strong anguish from each attack during whooping cough, doctors try to ease the condition of patients as much as possible. The treatment regimen of the disease in question consists in the appointment of the following agents:
- Bronchodilator drugs that expand the lumen of the bronchi and counteract the development of spasms.
- Mucolytic drugs are often used in the form of inhalations, the essence of their effect: they thin the sputum, ensuring its free outflow.
- The use of antitussive drugs is rarely prescribed, because their effectiveness in the presence of pertussis is minimal.
- Sedative and vasodilator drugs can improve blood circulation in the brain, they work as if advancing and prevent the development of oxygen starvation.
Treatment of symptoms of pertussis in adults is carried out according to individual prescriptions, because the course of the disease in each patient is different. For example, with a severe form of this disease or infection with this virus in early childhood, the risk of hypoxia increases, so it is advisable to carry out the following procedures:
- Carrying out oxygen therapy, while using a special mask, air with a high oxygen content is supplied to the body.
- The course of therapy with nootropic drugs helps to improve the metabolic process that takes place in the brain.
- Conducting a two-day treatment with glucocorticosteroid drugs that quickly and effectively reduce the intensity of coughing attacks. These relieve people of apnea.
In the event that the patient has hypersensitivity or intolerance to some drugs, and, in addition, the presence of psycho-emotional arousal is noted, the doctor prescribes antihistamines. During recovery and rehabilitation, patients undergo vitamin therapy. The intake of vitamins helps to restore the body faster and increases the level of immunity.
Antibiotics for adult pertussis symptoms
It is worth emphasizing that antibacterial drugs (that is, antibiotics) are relevant to the appointment only in the first ten days of the disease. It is also advisable to prescribe them in case of development of complications in the form of inflammation of the upper respiratory canals with bronchitis and pneumonia.
Treatment of symptoms of pertussis in adults with folk remedies can be very effective.
The use of folk techniques
In folk medicine, there are many recipes that help to quickly cure whooping cough. They are all approved by official medicine, but they should be used only as an additional medical procedure, since there is no way to do without medications for this disease. When diagnosing whooping cough, the following folk recipes should be used:
- Take five cloves of garlic, which should be medium in size, then they are crushed and boiled in a glass of milk. Such a medicine is boiled for five or seven minutes, then it is taken every three hours for three days (a tablespoon).
- Two tablespoons of finely chopped garlic are poured with butter (100 grams of oil is needed). Then let the mixture harden. Then they rub it into the soles of the feet, on top you need to warm your feet with something, for example, wear woolen socks.
- Camphor oil is mixed with fir oil and table vinegar is added. Any rags in the resulting mixture are moistened, which are squeezed and applied to the chest of a sick person. Such a compress is done at night, on top of the patient you need to cover with something warm. This recipe is suitable for adults, as well as children over the age of thirteen.
- Take ordinary sunflower seeds, dry them in the oven or in a skillet (do not fry) and chop. Next, the product is poured with water with honey, observing the following proportions: three lodges of seeds, the same amount of honey and 300 milliliters of water. The resulting product must be brought to a boil and cook until half of the broth remains. Then it will need to cool and strain. Next, the medicine is taken for one day in small sips at the first symptoms of pertussis in adults. Symptoms and treatment are interconnected.
Recommendations for the treatment of pertussis in adult patients
A patient with a diagnosis of whooping cough must always take walks in the air regularly, for example, doctors recommend walking for at least two hours every day. Such walks relieve coughing episodes well, and, in addition, serve as a prevention of oxygen starvation of the brain. In some books from traditional healers, the following recommendation is given: sick pertussis should walk near the river every morning, breathing in its vapor for twenty minutes. Healers write that after five days of such regular procedures, the symptoms of the disease in question completely disappear. Thus, you can combine outdoor walks with following this recommendation. The day regimen should also be correct whenever possible, for example, one should strive for the following:
- Lack of stress and nervous shock.
- It is necessary to try to observe the alternation of the period of wakefulness and rest.
- It is required to exclude any load. Even if you need walks, you need to try to sit more on the bench, rather than caring for kilometers.
During pertussis therapy, patients are prescribed the following diet:
- Lack of alcoholic beverages, strong coffee and tea in the diet.
- Vitamin B-rich foods, such as chicken liver, eggs, cottage cheese, and so on, are introduced into the diet.
- Fried and smoked foods are completely excluded.
- Preferred mashed soups.
- The number of meals per day should be carried out at least six times in small portions.
Consequences of whooping cough
Despite the fact that this pathology is considered not a dangerous disease for humans, complications can develop even in the case of a full therapy. These include bronchitis with pneumonia, and, in addition, the following consequences:
- The development of encephalopathy, that is, brain damage, which is accompanied by convulsive seizures.
- The occurrence of an umbilical or inguinal hernia.
- The appearance of hemorrhage in the eyes and brain.
- In addition, an attack of the rectum may be observed.
But it is worth paying attention to the fact that the development of a hernia, along with various hemorrhages and prolapse of the rectum, occurs only against the background of a strong cough, when the ligaments and muscles are overstressed, they are significantly weakened.
We have described in detail the symptoms and treatment of pertussis in adults.
Disease prevention
The only thing that can guarantee guaranteed protection against infection with a virus such as whooping cough is to perform vaccination. It is carried out free of charge as part of universal vaccination. Three vaccinations are required. The interval should be three months. The first time the vaccine is administered at the age of three months, and revaccination is carried out as early as eighteen months. Regionally allowed to change the revaccination scheme, for example, in the Sverdlovsk region an additional vaccine is given at the age of six years.
In the event that infection with pertussis has already happened, then such a patient is urgently isolated from the team for a period of thirty days. In such a case, a two-week quarantine is immediately established in childcare facilities (pre-school or school).
Conclusion
Whooping cough is a well-known infection that can be treated and often goes away in people without any serious complications. But, nevertheless, control by doctors during the period of therapeutic measures is strictly required. Such a measure will certainly help prevent the development of various kinds of consequences and any complications. In the event that a person has at least once been ill with whooping cough, then he is guaranteed to develop lifelong immunity to this ailment.
We looked at the symptoms, treatment, prevention, and consequences of whooping cough in adults. Photos of people with this disease are also presented.