How to treat pertussis in adults? Let’s take a look at the article below.
Whooping cough is a disease whose name comes from the French language and literally means “cockerel”, since 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 paroxysmal cough, which greatly affects the quality of life of a sick person. Pertussis is quite difficult to differentiate, and if you do not treat or choose the wrong methods of therapy, then the risk of developing serious complications is high.
Description
Pertussis 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. Recently, however, many cases of infection have been reported among adolescents and adults. The course of the disease is severe at any age.
The period of incubation of bacteria is relatively small and ranges from two days to two weeks. Transmission of the disease occurs by airborne droplets. The duration of pertussis is approximately 6 weeks and is divided into three stages. Vaccination against pertussis does not give a 100% guarantee, just like a transferred disease can start anew with reinfection. According to statistics, approximately 5% of cases are adults.
Kinds
Pertussis in adults is divided into two main types: abortive and atypical. The last type of pertussis is characterized by rare coughing attacks that do not cause any particular difficulties. In this case, normal body temperature is noted. An abortive whooping cough is characterized by an acute form of the disease. At the initial stage, frequent sore throat occurs, which provokes a cough, not accompanied by sharp spasms. After a few days, the symptoms go away on their own.
Pertussis belongs to the category of serious diseases by doctors. If you do not diagnose it in a timely manner, there is a high risk of the transition of whooping cough into pneumonia, which is a deadly ailment.
Symptoms in adults
The main characteristic of pertussis in adults is a strong, paroxysmal cough. Depending on the stage, the number of seizures can reach 15 times a day. There are 3 stages of development of pertussis:
- Catarrhal. During this period, it is difficult to distinguish whooping cough from a common cold. Patients have an unproductive cough, runny nose, fever may increase. If appropriate treatment has not been carried out, the disease proceeds to the next stage. What other whooping cough does adults get?
- Paroxysmal. The cough becomes paroxysmal. Infectious bacteria multiply actively in the lungs, which leads to the formation of large amounts of sputum. In one attack, up to 15 spasmodic tremors can occur during coughing. In this case, breathing is difficult, and when you inhale, a characteristic whistle arises, since a spasm of the glottis in the larynx occurs. It is this characteristic cough that helps a specialist recognize whooping cough at this stage of the disease.
- Recovery. It comes four weeks after the onset of the disease. Coughing at this stage may be accompanied by vomiting, it becomes more frequent, and seizures become heavier. At the same time, the patient may continue to cough for another month.
Thus, the following characteristic symptoms of pertussis in adults can be distinguished:
- General deterioration of the patient's condition, accompanied by fever, runny nose, etc.
- Intense spasmodic cough, which at the initial stage is dry, and then gains strength and becomes productive, with copious sputum production.
- The appearance of bleeding from the nose during attacks, vomiting.
- Redness of the face and eyes of the patient.
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 it acts as a virus carrier. At the initial stage, the disease is very similar to a cold, which leads to erroneous diagnoses. The second and third stages are often confused with bronchitis, pneumonia and tuberculosis. How is the diagnosis and treatment of pertussis in adults?
Diagnostics
If a person has found signs of pertussis, such as a 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. Differential diagnosis is required to exclude ARVI, tuberculosis, bronchitis and pneumonia.
As a rule, a blood test, delivery of mucus from the nose and sputum for sowing and x-ray examination of the lungs is prescribed. The pertussis is indicated by an increased number of lymphocytes and white blood cells in the blood, as well as an increased rate of erythrocyte precipitation. Sowing with whooping cough shows an environment that is favorable for the active reproduction of bacteria. An X-ray examination will show an enlarged pulmonary tree, a pronounced pattern of the lung, consisting of grid fields and cells.
Preparations
After receiving the results of a patient examination, the doctor prescribes therapy, which is carried out at home. Adult hospitalization is not required. With a mild illness without a large number of spasms and an intense, severe cough, antibacterial drugs are prescribed. With whooping cough, the following drugs are especially effective:
- "Erythromycin."
- "Azithromycin."
- Clarithromycin.
If whooping cough is severe, treatment with antibiotics alone will not work. Patients who have respiratory tract hyperresponsiveness and, as a result, bronchospasm, can receive an appointment in the form of anti-asthma drugs that relieve cramping and swelling. In addition, antihistamines may be prescribed.
If 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 attacks of suffocation. To relieve cough, various antitussive drugs are prescribed that contribute to thinning and elimination of 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. Surrounding needs to be isolated, especially for children, since the risk of infection is very high.
The patient should not be exposed to hypothermia, and the room must be maintained at a humidity level and regular wet cleaning is required. Whooping cough should be treated promptly. It is important to prevent the development of complications and not to neglect the recommendations of a doctor.
Now you know how pertussis is diagnosed and treated in adults. Photos of people who have encountered this ailment are presented in the article.
Complications
Incorrect delayed pertussis therapy can lead to serious consequences for the body. The most dangerous of them are:
- Pneumonia.
- Impaired respiratory function.
- Heart failure.
- Laryngotracheitis in acute form.
- Bronchiolitis.
The greatest risk of developing complications in childhood. Of the 50 million people infected with whooping cough, 300 thousand die every year. Most often these are children under one year old.
Quite rarely, against the background of whooping cough, encephalopathy occurs. It provokes changes in the brain that lead to convulsive syndrome, epilepsy, deafness, and in some cases even death. Most deaths occur in developing countries, where living standards and living conditions are lower and hygiene is lacking, which provokes the development of infections. In developed countries, pertussis deaths are 0.04%.
Panic with this diagnosis is not worth it. Nowadays, modern drugs are being produced that effectively fight the disease. Moreover, timely treatment ensures the absence of complications.
Pregnancy and whooping cough
It is very dangerous for the unborn child to contract a woman with whooping cough during gestation. A particular danger is an ailment for the first trimester of pregnancy, when an important stage in the formation of all organs and systems of the unborn child occurs. The disease can lead to the following changes:
- Visual impairment, including partial loss of vision or blindness.
- Hearing impairment, deafness.
- Incorrect formation of the genitourinary system.
- Changes in the cardiovascular system.
- Disturbance in the development of bone structures and muscles.
- Pathology in the development of the gastrointestinal tract.
- Effect on the central nervous system.
The main symptom of the disease
The main signs of pertussis in a pregnant woman are enlarged lymph nodes, cough with increasing intensity, runny nose and cough. In some cases, a rash may appear throughout 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 recommend abortion. 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 begin treatment on time.
Prevention
Does pertussis vaccination need adults? There are a number of preventative measures that can help prevent infection.
The most reliable way is vaccination. Vaccinations are given with an interval of one and a half months to children from three months of age. Revaccination is carried out after a year and a half. Next, immunity is developed, which lasts up to five years. However, re-infection cannot be completely eliminated. Prevention of pertussis in adults should be carried out without fail.