eCureMe logo
  eCureMe home eCureMe log In Sign Up!
eCureMe Life : Your Healthy Living. Click Here!
Welcome, eCureMe.com medical contents search March 11, 2015
       eCureMe Life
       Medical Supplies
       Calorie Count
       Self-Diagnosis
       Physician Search
       Message Board
      E-mail Doctor
      E-mail Veterinarian
      Self-Diagnosis
      Health-O-Matic Meter
      Calorie Count
      Natural Medicine
      Vitamins & Minerals
      Alternative Living
      My Health Chart
      Diseases & Treatments
      Atlas of Diseases
      Sexually Transmitted
      Diseases
      Drug Information
      Illegal Drugs
      Lab & Diagnostic Tests
      Internal Medicine
      Women’s Health
      Pediatrics
      Eye Disorders
      Skin Disorders
      Headache
      Mental Health
      Radiology
      Neurology
      Allergy
      Resource Links
      Physician Directory
      Dentist Directory
      Hospital Directory





Whooping Cough

more about Whooping Cough


Pertussis


  • A bacterial infection that primarily affects the nose and throat.  It usually affects the respiratory tract of infants less than 2 years old.  This disease gets its name because patients with the disease make a "whooping" sound when they take a breath.

  • Symptoms usually develop 7-17 days after the initial infection by the virus.
  • Most patients who develop symptoms are the age of 2.
  • Symptoms usually last about 6 weeks, and are divided into 3 stages:
    1. Stage 1 symptoms include sneezing, runny eyes, runny nose, loss of appetite, loss of energy, and nighttime coughing.
    2. Stage 2 symptoms include a series of rapid coughs followed by the "whoop" noise when the person tries to take in a breath.
    3. Stage 3 is the recovery phase in which the coughing is not as frequent or as severe.  This stage usually begins after about the 4th week.
  • Whooping coughs are suspected in young patients with a cough lasting more than 2 weeks.

  • The cause is a bacterium called Bordetella Pertussis.  The bacterium is spread between people by respiratory droplets, which are produced when infected people cough or sneeze.  It can also be spread via contact with infected body fluids such as nasal secretions.

  • A Diagnosis is made by growing the bacterium in samples of fluid taken from the nose and throat of the patient.
  • Other lab tests may show high white blood cell counts

  • Erythromycin, 500 mg taken four times a day, helps decrease the length of infection and also may help decrease the severity of the coughing.

  • Immunization with the pertussis vaccine is recommended for all infants.
  • This vaccine is usually administered as a DTP (diphtheria, Tetanus, and pertussis) combined vaccine.
  • Infants and adults who have been exposed to others with the infection should take prophylactic antibiotics to prevent the development of infection.
  • Neither previous infection nor vaccination gives life-long immunity.
  • However, booster doses of the vaccine are not recommended after the age of 6, unless there is an outbreak of the infection.





more about Whooping Cough


If you want your friend to read or know about this article, Click here






medical contents search

Home   |   About Us   |   Contact Us   |   Employment Ad   |   Help

Terms and Conditions under which this service is provided to you. Read our Privacy Policy.
Copyright © 2002 - 2003 eCureMe, Inc All right reserved.