Infectious diseases of the respiratory tract are considered one of the most common problems. That is why many are interested in questions about what is whooping cough and how does it manifest. After all, children of preschool age are most susceptible 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 whooping cough, the bacterium Bordatella pertussis, affects the lower respiratory system. It should be noted immediately that the only source of pathogenic microorganisms is an infected person, including a hidden carrier in which the symptoms of the disease do not appear. The infection is transmitted through the air along with saliva and mucosal secretions.
What is whooping cough and what are its symptoms?
Once in 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 develops a slight malaise: sick children complain of fatigue and drowsiness, runny nose and mild dry cough. At this stage, the symptoms of whooping cough resemble a common cold. However, 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 bacilli eject products of their own vital activity into the lumen of the bronchial ducts - for the human body these substances are toxic and can provoke an allergic reaction. The main symptom of whooping cough is a paroxysmal dry cough, during which the child simply cannot breathe normally. In some cases, you can notice how the skin on the face becomes cyanotic, and veins swell on the neck. Quite often, coughing ends with vomiting. Attacks, as a rule, are repeated from 5 to 50 times a day, and the most severe of them occur at night.
Interestingly, coughing can trigger dust in the airways, fear, or nervous tension.
How to treat whooping cough?
Having noticed a strong suffocating cough in a child, it is worth immediately calling a pediatrician. Only a specialist knows exactly what pertussis is and can correctly diagnose a disease. Most often, treatment occurs at home, hospitalization is required only in the most severe cases.
Therapy directly depends on the condition of the child and the stage of development of the disease. For example, in the early stages it is advisable to use antibiotics, which can quickly cleanse the body of pathogenic microbes.
But if the patient already suffers from attacks of severe coughing, such antibacterial agents are unlikely to help. In such cases, as a rule, antihistamines are prescribed (for example, tavegil, diphenhydramine), which relieve bronchospasm and facilitate breathing. Sometimes it is advisable to take calcium gluconate, since this substance also has anti-allergic properties. In extreme heat, patients are advised to take antipyretic and anti-inflammatory drugs.
In no case should you try to self-medicate or completely ignore whooping cough - the consequences can be extremely serious, especially for a child’s body. Yes, sometimes a spasmodic cough goes away on its own, but attacks come back with a decrease in immune defense or colds. In addition, whooping cough can cause pneumonia. That is why it is important to follow all the doctor’s recommendations.
As for prevention, small children receive pertussis vaccinations, which are very effective. Statistical data confirm that only 20% of children after vaccination still had this disease, but in a milder form.