Pertussis

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Respiratory system overview

Whooping cough

• runny nose
• slight fever (102°F or lower)
• severe, repeated coughs that:
  • make breathing difficult
  • result in vomiting
  • produce a high-pitched "whooping" sound when a person takes a breath
  • cause a short loss of consciousness
• diarrhea
• choking spells in infants

The initial diagnosis is usually based on the symptoms. However, when the symptoms are not obvious, pertussis may be difficult to diagnose. In very young infants, the symptoms may be caused by pneumonia instead.

To know for sure, the health care provider may take a sample of mucus from the nose nasal secretions and send it to a lab, which tests it for pertussis. While this can offer an accurate diagnosis, the test some time, and treatment is usually started before the results are ready.

Some patients may have a complete blood count that shows large numbers of lymphocytes.

Review Date: 03/02/2006
Reviewed By: David A. Kaufman, M.D., Assistant Professor, Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care & Sleep Medicine, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.