Whooping cough, also sometimes referred to as pertussis, is an infection of the lining of the respiratory tract. The respiratory tract is the airway that carries air to and from the lungs. Whooping cough is highly infectious, so if you, or your child, have it, it is very important that you stay away from others until the bacterium has completely cleared.
The condition is caused by a bacterium called Bordetella pertussis, which can be passed from person to person through droplets in the air from coughing and sneezing. The condition is known as whooping cough because the main symptom is a hacking cough, which is often followed by a sharp intake of breath that sounds like a ‘whoop’.
Whooping cough usually affects infants and young children. However, adults can also sometimes develop the condition. Whooping cough tends to be most severe in young infants and, in rare cases, it can be fatal.
Symptoms of whooping cough
The symptoms of whooping cough usually take between 7-10 days to appear (the incubation period) after infection with the Bordetella pertussis bacterium. Whooping cough tends to develop in stages, with mild symptoms occurring at first, followed by a period of more severe symptoms before improvement begins. The early symptoms of whooping cough are often similar to those of a common cold and may include:
- A runny, or blocked, nose.
- Sneezing.
- Watering eyes.
- A dry, irritating, cough.
- A sore throat.
- A slightly raised temperature.
- Feeling generally unwell.
These early symptoms of whooping cough can last for between 1-2 weeks, before becoming more severe. The second stage, which is often called the paroxysmal stage, is characterised by intense bouts of coughing. The bouts are sometimes referred to as ‘paroxysms’ of coughing.
Paroxysmal symptoms
The paroxysmal symptoms of whooping cough may include:
- Intense, hacking bouts of coughing, which bring up thick phlegm (usually 12-15 bouts a day).
- A ‘whoop’ sound with each sharp intake of breath after coughing (although this may not occur in infants and young children).
- Vomiting in infants and young children.
- Fatigue and redness in the face from the effort of coughing.
In some cases, young children may also seem to choke or become blue in the face (cyanosis) when they have a bout of coughing. However, in adults and older children the paroxysmal symptoms of whooping cough are far less severe than they are in young children, and may appear more like the symptoms of a milder respiratory infection, such as bronchitis. In fact, you may not even realise that you have whooping cough.
The paroxysmal symptoms of whooping cough usually last for at least two weeks, but can often last as long as 2-3 months, even following treatment. This is because the cough continues even after the Bordetella pertussis bacterium has gone. Eventually, the symptoms of whooping cough should start to improve, with fewer and less extreme bouts of coughing occurring. However, intense bouts of coughing may still occur even when other symptoms are improving.
Causes of whooping cough
Whooping cough is caused by a bacterium called Bordetella pertussis. The bacterium infects the lining of the breathing airways, mainly the windpipe (trachea) and the two airways that branch off from it to the lungs (the bronchi). When the Bordetella pertussis bacterium comes into contact with the lining of these airways, it multiplies and causes a build up of thick mucus. It is the mucus that causes the intense bouts of coughing, as your body tries to expel it.
The bacterium also causes the airways to inflame (swell up), making them narrower than usual. As a result, breathing is made difficult, and it is this that causes the ‘whoop’ sound as you gasp for breath after a bout of coughing.
How whooping cough spreads
Whooping cough is most infectious during the early stages of the condition. The Bordetella pertussis bacterium is carried in droplets of moisture in the air. When someone with whooping cough sneezes or coughs, they send out hundreds of infected droplets into the air. If the droplets are breathed in by someone else, the bacterium will infect their airways.
You should stay home from work, or keep your child home from school, or nursery, until you or your child, has completed a course of antibiotics from your doctor. If not prescribed antibiotics, until you or your child has had intense bouts of coughing (paroxysms) for three weeks. Although bouts of coughing may continue after three weeks, it is unlikely that you will still be infectious because the bacterium will have gone.
Related articles
- Treating whooping cough
- Inflamed airways – Bronchitis
- Asbestosis – Chronic lung disease
- Cough
- Croup infection
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
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