Pertussis (cont.)
How is whooping cough treated?
Antibiotics directed against Bordetella pertussis can be effective in
reducing the severity of whooping cough when administered early in the course of
the disease. Antibiotic therapy can also help reduce the risk of transmission of
the bacterium to other household members as well as to others who may come into
contact with an infected person. Unfortunately, most people with whooping cough
are diagnosed later with the condition in the second (paroxysmal) stage of the
disease. Treatment with antibiotics is recommended for anyone who has had the
disease for less than three to four weeks. Azithromycin (Zithromax), clarithromycin (Biaxin), erythromycin (E-Mycin, Eryc, Ery-Tab, PCE, Pediazole, Ilosone), and trimethoprim and sulfamethoxazole (Bactrim, Septra) are antibiotics which have been shown to be effective in treating whooping cough. It is unclear whether antibiotics have any benefit for people who have been ill with whooping cough for longer than
three to four weeks, although antibiotic therapy is still often considered for this group. There is no proven effective treatment for the paroxysms of coughing that accompany whooping cough.
Antibiotics are also routinely administered to people who have had close contact with an infected person, regardless of their vaccination status.
What are possible complications of whooping cough?
The most common complication and the cause of most whooping cough-related deaths is secondary bacterial pneumonia. (Secondary bacterial pneumonia is bacterial pneumonia that follows another infection of the lung, be it viral or bacterial. Secondary pneumonia is caused by a different virus or bacterium than the original infection.) Young infants are at highest risk for whooping cough and also for its associated complications, including secondary pneumonia. Data from 2001-2003 indicate that secondary pneumonia occurred among 4.9% of all reported cases of whooping cough.
Whooping cough can cause serious illness and even death in young children; 10 children died from the infection in 2007. From 2004-2005, 66 deaths due to whooping cough were reported to the CDC, and 56 of these were children under 3 months of age. Most of the deaths have occurred in children who have not been vaccinated or who are too young to have received the vaccine.
Other possible complications of whooping cough, particularly in infants less than 6 months of age, include seizures, encephalopathy (abnormal function of the brain due to decreased oxygen delivery to the brain caused by the episodes of coughing), reactive airway disease (asthma), dehydration, hearing loss, and malnutrition.
For immunization information on whooping cough for children, adolescents, and
adults, please visit the following areas.
- Whooping cough (pertussis) is an acute, highly contagious respiratory
infection that is caused by the bacterium Bordetella pertussis.
- Whooping cough commonly affects infants and young children but can be prevented by immunization with pertussis vaccine.
- Adults may develop whooping cough as their immunity from childhood vaccines wears off over time.
- Clinical symptoms occur in three stages; the characteristic bursts of coughing are observed in the second, or paroxysmal, stage.
- Antibiotics can help reduce the severity of the disease when administered early in the course of the disease.
- Secondary bacterial pneumonia is the most common complication of whooping cough.
References: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (http://www.cdc.gov)
Last Editorial Review: 8/26/2009
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