Whooping cough - viral infection caused by pertussis bacillus. It affects the lungs and central nervous system, forming a stable focus of excitation. Children under six years of age become ill more often because their immunity is not able to resist the pathogen. Parents are wondering what kind of immunity occurs after a child has had whooping cough and whether it is possible to get it again. Read about this in our article.
Whooping cough manifests itself as a spasmodic paroxysmal cough, after which children may begin to vomit.
During an attack, the patient's tongue protrudes as much as possible, laryngospasm occurs (the glottis closes), and a whistling sound is made when inhaling. The attack itself can last up to four minutes. Adults can also become infected, provided that the body’s protective function is weakened.
Complications of whooping cough
During illness, immunity is reduced, and secondary immunodeficiency develops. This is a condition in which the immune system is not able to adequately resist attacks from pathogenic microflora.
With a timely diagnosis of whooping cough and proper treatment, complications do not arise. In severe cases of the disease, both specific and nonspecific lesions may appear.
Specific complications of whooping cough
Specific complications include those that are characteristic of whooping cough. These include:
Nonspecific complications of whooping cough
Disorders of appetite and sleep, as well as insufficient oxygen supply during paroxysm, contribute to the development pathogenic flora and the occurrence of secondary immunodeficiency.
In the respiratory tract, during the inflammatory process caused by pertussis bacillus, staphylococci, streptococci and pneumococci multiply.
Nonspecific complications include:
As a rule, specific complications arise in the third week of convulsive cough, and nonspecific complications, if they appear, occur in the fourth week. The illness can last up to two months, and a residual cough remains for six months.
Immunity after whooping cough
The infection contagiousness index ranges from 0.7 to 1. This means that when meeting a carrier of the infection, out of 10 people, at least 7 will get sick. The disease is most dangerous for children in the first year of life, since the immunity received from the mother can protect only in the first weeks .
The body can learn to recognize a pathogen in two ways:
- after meeting with a live pathogen;
- after vaccination.
When a pathogen enters the body, a defense system consisting of macrophages, lymphocytes, phagocytes and immunoglobulin is activated. The immune system destroys antigens, remembers the pathogen, and when the pathogen attacks again, it is able to recognize it and destroy it.
During the period of struggle immune system with whooping cough, specific immunoglobulins of class G are formed in the body, which guarantee permanent lifelong immunity against the disease. However, isolated cases have been recorded reinfection whooping cough Experts explain this by starting treatment for the disease at a stage when the immune system has not yet developed a response.
When children are vaccinated, they develop antibodies, but this does not guarantee lifelong immunity. Vaccinated children get sick 4-6 times less often, the clinical picture is erased, and no serious complications arise.
Children who have received the whooping cough vaccine become infected due to insufficient production of immunoglobulin or a decrease in immunity. The risk of getting sick increases 3 years after vaccination. In vaccinated children, the immune system is familiar with the pathogen, so the synthesis of the titer of specific antibodies occurs faster and occurs already in the second week of spasmodic cough.
Rehabilitation
Since whooping cough forms a focus of excitation in the brain, a reflex cough (out of habit) can be observed throughout the year. How quickly immunity recovers after whooping cough depends on the severity of the disease, the timeliness and adequacy of treatment. If whooping cough is severe, then long-term rehabilitation of the patient is required.
Secondary immunodeficiency leads to a weakening of the body, during which it is easy to become infected with any infections. In addition, opportunistic microflora can begin to multiply and cause illness. For example, the candida bacterium is present in the body of every person, but after an illness or long-term use of antibiotics, its colony grows, which leads to candidiasis.
When recovering patients with whooping cough, special attention is paid to vitamin therapy. It is recommended to take such vitamin preparations, like Mystic, Bisk, Chromevital+, Passilate. To restore the microflora, probiotics (Linex, Biovestin-lacto) are prescribed, since dysbiosis may occur due to treatment with antibiotics.
To help the immune system recover after illness, immunomodulators are designed to stimulate the immune system, remove toxins and free radicals. These include plant adaptogens: echinacea, eleutherococcus, ginseng. In some cases, medications are prescribed to improve blood circulation in the brain.
During recovery period you need to monitor your daily routine. Long walks in the fresh air are necessary, preferably in a forest belt (the air of a pine forest contains a lot of phytoncides that suppress the growth of bacteria and fungi). It is unacceptable to stay in dusty rooms.
Thus, immunity to the pertussis bacterium after whooping cough remains for life. The vaccine protects against severe forms illness and serious complications.
Whooping cough has various consequences. This is common childhood disease is of an acute infectious nature. Pertussis bacillus is the causative agent of whooping cough, which quickly dies in the external environment. Therefore, a sick person is the only source of infection (in the first 7-14 days).
Medical indications
The disease in question is spread by airborne droplets. Parents should know why whooping cough is dangerous in children. The main symptom of the disease is a paroxysmal cough. It is difficult to treat and lasts 1-2 weeks. Complications of whooping cough can include pneumonia.
Timely and correct treatment of the patient prevents the development of various complications. The main method of preventing the disease is vaccination of children.
The first symptoms of the disease appear after the infection enters the human body after 14 days.
Doctors include the following consequences of whooping cough:
- suppression of the immune system;
- bronchitis;
- otitis;
- pleurisy;
- encephalopathy.
The latter disease involves damage to the patient’s central nervous system. This disease manifests itself after 2-3 weeks of whooping cough. At the same time, the child develops new symptoms such as fainting, blurred vision and hearing, and convulsions. If these symptoms occur, it is recommended to immediately seek help from a doctor. Otherwise, the disease will affect psychomotor development baby. TO severe consequences Doctors include rectal prolapse and hernia as diseases. In rare cases, doctors observe pulmonary atelectasis and cerebral hemorrhage.
Classification of the disease
Experts identify the following forms of whooping cough:
- Typical.
- Atypical.
Doctors consider the 1st form of the disease to be those variants of the disease that are characterized by paroxysmal coughing. Complications of typical whooping cough are presented in the form of bronchopulmonary damage, of cardio-vascular system, encephalopathy. General state the sick child does not change. Pediatricians highlight following symptoms, characteristic of the catarrhal period:
- persistent cough;
- presence of hard breathing;
- pale skin;
- leukocytosis in the blood.
The preconvulsant period lasts 10-13 days. During the spasmodic period, a paroxysmal cough appears, the child’s face becomes red, and the eyes water. If the little patient is over a year old, then the cough may be accompanied by vomiting.
The convulsive period is characterized by some changes in the lungs, including wet and dry rales. Last symptom Whooping cough disappears after a coughing attack. It may appear after a certain period of time over other lung fields.
Read also: Features and drug treatment herpes virus and chickenpox
Main forms of the disease
The abortive form is characterized by catarrhal and short-term periods with convulsive cough. Then comes recovery. In the erased form, convulsions are not observed. Children suffering from this disease develop a dry, obsessive cough. The asymptomatic form occurs without clinical signs. At the same time, titers of specific antibodies increase. Atypical forms of the disease appear in adults and vaccinated children. Doctors distinguish the following classification of whooping cough, taking into account the severity:
- easy;
- moderate severity;
- heavy.
If the course of the disease is not smooth, it worsens chronic diseases. In children under 1 year of age, severe and moderate forms of whooping cough are observed. There is a high probability fatal outcome. The incubation period is 1-2 days. A convulsive cough is observed for 6-8 weeks.
Newborn babies suffer from a weak, silent cough with little sputum production. Between attacks the child is lethargic and his appetite decreases. Among the complications, pediatricians identify:
- respiratory arrest;
- impaired blood circulation in the brain.
From nonspecific complications, experts determine bacterial and viral genesis. Secondary immunodeficiency is noted in early stages and is long lasting. Vaccinated children are characterized by certain features of the disease in question. Babies vaccinated against whooping cough get sick for the following reasons:
- insufficient development of immunity;
- reduction of immune tension.
Scientists have proven that a vaccinated child can get whooping cough 3-5 or more years after the last vaccination.
Children suffer from mild, erased and moderate forms of the disease.
Current complications
Vaccinated children are characterized by specific complications of the nervous and bronchopulmonary systems. But such consequences are not life-threatening for the patient. Unvaccinated children have a long incubation and catarrhal period (14 days), and a spasmodic cough lasts 2 weeks. Vaccinated children do not experience swelling or vomiting. Lymphocytosis is present in the peripheral blood.
The following complications are characteristic of a specific form of whooping cough:
- emphysema;
- segmental atelectasis;
- pneumonia;
- breathing is impaired (doctors distinguish 2 types of apnea: spasmodic (occurs with a convulsive cough) and syncapole. The main factors in the development of such a complication include prematurity, intrauterine infection, peritary lesion of the central nervous system);
- bleeding from the nose and bronchi;
- inguinal and umbilical hernia;
- rupture of the eardrum.
With the development of medicine and the advent effective vaccines parents have already begun to forget about such serious diseases as whooping cough in children, symptoms and treatment (lat. Bordetella pertussis), which affects mainly young children and can be fatal.
It’s worth immediately making the remark that modern parents simply have not encountered the infections against which young children are necessarily vaccinated, and therefore refuse vaccines.
Whooping cough in children can begin after airborne contact with a carrier or sick person.
Whooping cough: causes and first symptoms
Whooping cough in children begins to develop as a result of infection with acute bacterial infection when in contact with a sick person or carrier, this is typical for 90% of cases of contact and especially for unvaccinated children.
Infection is especially dangerous for children under 2 years of age.
The disease begins to develop as a result of contact with the nasopharyngeal mucosa by gram-negative Bordet-Gengou bacteria, which cause toxicity to hemoglobin.
These protozoan pathogens are named after the Belgian scientist who first described whooping cough and its causes in 1906.
Moreover, the first described epidemic of whooping cough was predominantly caused by fatal cases occurred in 1578. Also known is the so-called parapertussis infection, isolated in 1937 and caused by the bacillus of the same name.
When the nasopharynx is affected by parapertussis bacillus, the disease occurs with similar symptoms and in more mild form, but as a result does not form immunity to Bordet-Geang whooping cough.
Today, despite the development of an effective associated vaccine, DTP (universally used since 1965), about 60 million people get sick every year, and about 10% of those sick die.
This is especially true when assistance is not provided in a timely manner.
The main symptoms of whooping cough include a paroxysmal cough with characteristic spasms, which can often be mistaken for a severe cold.
Meanwhile early diagnosis important especially for those adults who come into contact with children from infancy to school age who are at risk.
Infection and first symptoms of whooping cough
Whooping cough develops as a result of pathogenic bacteria entering the respiratory tract, which are attached along the walls respiratory organs.
Airborne droplets affect not only the upper region of the nasopharynx, but also the terminal branches bronchial tree.
Immediately after entry, the bacteria cause mild inflammatory reaction, which manifests itself in the form of a runny nose, coughing and sore throat.
The incubation period lasts 10-14 days, after this period Bordetella begins to release a large amount of whooping cough-specific toxins into the blood, affecting, among other things, the nervous system.
Sick children lose peace of mind, stop sleeping and become very capricious. At this moment, it is very important not to miss the first signs of whooping cough.
Diagnosis is made using a nasopharyngeal smear in the laboratory, which allows you to quickly diagnose the onset of the disease and begin treatment before the end of the incubation period.
Development of whooping cough, stages of the disease
The incubation period for whooping cough can last from 3 to 14 days, but the average is about 5-8 days.
There is a typical and atypical whooping cough, in a typical case, there are 4 stages of disease development:
- catarrhal;
- spasmodic (convulsive cough with spasms);
- stage of reverse development;
- convalescence stage.
The catarrhal period is in many ways similar to an acute respiratory infection with signs of slight damage to the nasopharynx, a temperature of 37.0-37.5 ° C and slight malaise.
At this stage of the disease, an occasional dry cough and mild mucous discharge from the nose may be observed. The catarrhal period is characterized by an increased danger to others; usually up to 90% of those in contact with the patient become infected.
Within a few days, the dry cough will develop into a spasmodic, convulsive cough with a deep whistling entrance. A classic attack will consist of 2-15 coughing cycles.
The spasmodic period is characterized by blueness of the patient's face and quite severe swelling, which gives the impression of a puffy face. Dotted hemorrhages appear on the ocular conjunctiva and sclera. The neck veins swell distinctly.
In children, coughing attacks sometimes occur in a very severe form; as a result of mechanical damage, ulcers often appear on the frenulum of the tongue.
In newborns and infants under 2 years of age, as a result of an attack, breathing may stop, and convulsive twitching of muscles throughout the body (clonic-tonic convulsions) may occur.
At the end of the attack, viscous sputum is released or vomiting occurs.
Whooping cough is quite painful. The total number of attacks can range from 5 to 50 per day. Children early age often suffer from persistent cough with vomiting rather than attacks.
Typically, a convulsive cough lasts 3-4 weeks; after this period, a period of reverse development of the disease begins with a non-convulsive cough, lasting approximately 2-3 weeks.
The period of convalescence is characterized by recovery, but not complete due to numerous complications. But timely identification of symptoms and initiation of therapeutic measures against whooping cough in children allows to alleviate the course of the disease as much as possible.
Vaccination, its effectiveness and reducing the risks of complications
Parents, when reading information about whooping cough, need to take into account that all children without exception are at risk. There is no innate immunity against this infection.
After vaccination, temporary immunity is formed, so in order to avoid infection or have a mild illness, it is important to follow the vaccination schedule.
Vaccination does not provide a 100% guarantee of protection against the pathogen, but the risk of getting whooping cough is sharply reduced, and in vaccinated children, whooping cough occurs quickly and easily.
Despite the rather skeptical attitude of parents towards infections, vaccination helps to protect the child, if not from the disease itself, then to reduce the likelihood of complications to a negligible minimum.
The causative agent of whooping cough releases specific toxins that cause dryness and subsequent degeneration of the mucous membrane of the respiratory organs. There is dilation of blood vessels in the pharynx.
For children, spasms of the trachea and bronchi are especially dangerous, which, when severe cough can cause hypoxia of the myocardium and larger muscles.
If untimely or not adequate treatment degenerative changes are observed in the heart muscle, and areas of necrosis are formed in lung tissue.
With timely vaccination, even when infected with whooping cough, the disease does not cause complications or they are minimal, which allows children to quickly recover from the disease.
The main prevention of pertussis infection is to limit contact before the age of 3 months.
If a source of infection occurs, doctors identify the source of infection and place all contacts in quarantine for 2 weeks, starting from the last case of infection.
Unvaccinated children and adults are given the vaccine and pertussis-specific globulin to create effective dose antibodies that can fight the disease.
The most effective prevention is considered to be vaccination in accordance with the vaccination calendar adopted by the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation. The first vaccination is carried out at the age of 3 months, then the vaccine is administered 3 times after 45 days.
Revaccination of a child to restore immunity to whooping cough is done at the age of 2-2.5 years.
Fulminant pertussis infection in children
“Whooping cough is a serious, predominantly childhood disease that can cause serious complications and even death,” parents of small children and infants should learn this basic idea.
To reduce the risk of disease, children should be vaccinated in accordance with the vaccination schedule. An important element prevention is the absence of contact with sick people.
But, obviously, this is not always possible. The fact is that an adult who has already lost temporary immunity can transmit the infection.
His disease can manifest itself in its primary form, when the probability of infecting others reaches 90%.
Parents of infants should be aware of instant whooping cough infection; with it, there is basically no incubation period, and catarrhal infection lasts only a few hours.
In this case, literally in one day the child begins to suffer from severe acute form whooping cough with characteristic increasing cough spasms. In infants, as a rule, whooping cough is immediately accompanied by fleeting cardiovascular complications.
The only way to help a sick child will be to place the baby in a hospital as soon as possible in order to avoid death and severe complications.
The fulminant form also includes a latent form of whooping cough, which can occur in vaccinated babies.
They may not have pronounced attacks and recurrences with a whistling input, this misleads parents and they are in no hurry to seek help.
However, at some point with such atypical form there may be a prolonged bout of screaming infant, and after several bursts of coughing, breathing stops.
After this, a disruption of the blood supply to the brain occurs, atrophy of the heart muscle, and convulsive syndrome appears. The baby's face turns blue and swells.
Examination of babies with symptoms of whooping cough
The risk of contracting whooping cough obliges parents to respond to early symptoms in a timely manner. Since they are in many ways similar to acute respiratory infections and influenza, the best option is to monitor the development of the disease and the clinical picture.
Compassionate parents can take the baby to the laboratory and take a bacteriological scraping from the throat.
If whooping cough is detected, the doctor will prescribe drug therapy and the introduction of immunoglobulin, which will reduce the risks of developing the disease. Adults who have contact with the baby will also have to get vaccinated.
A general blood test during whooping cough infection may show increasing leukocytosis (3-4 times higher than normal), changes in the number of red blood cells, and hemoglobin and hematocrit may decrease.
Additionally, the disease can be diagnosed by serological analysis blood for the presence of antibodies to whooping cough. In some medical centers and clinics, an intradermal test is performed to quickly make a diagnosis.
These analyzes and tests help determine whooping cough infection during the incubation period. Please note that for whooping cough in children, treatment is carried out only in a hospital, where adequate care will be provided.
Parents cannot know everything, but they can react in time to alarming symptoms and bring the baby to the hospital for examination.
Treatment of whooping cough
Many parents are looking for information about treating whooping cough at home. Meanwhile, this is a fundamentally wrong approach, which can lead to aggravation of complications.
Please note that there is no specific therapy for the treatment of whooping cough; help is mainly aimed at relieving cough symptoms and increasing immunity in order to quickly achieve a recovery period.
In some cases, children can suffer from whooping cough for up to 3 months.
Antibiotic therapy is used to reduce the patient's infectiousness. Treatment involves ampicillin, chloramphenicol and erythromycin, which are administered orally and administered as intramuscular injection.
During resuscitation measures, drugs are used that reduce the risk of hypoxia and complications.
Because whooping cough toxins have negative impact on the nervous system, the course of treatment includes sedatives Relanium, Phenazepam, Pipolfen.
If whooping cough is diagnosed in incubation period or at the initial stage, anti-pertussis γ-globulin is usually administered intramuscularly for 3 days in a row, and then, at the doctor’s discretion, several more times every other day.
Let us note once again: the decision to prescribe a particular drug can only be made by a doctor! Do not self-medicate under any circumstances!
Restoring health after whooping cough and treatment at home
- warm drink, in the form of a lemon drink with honey, linden tea with raspberries;
- inhalation with oil tea tree which fights infection and relieves swelling;
- you can prepare a well-known folk medicine in the form of toasted and ground sunflower seeds, 1 tbsp. powder is mixed with 0.5 liter of water and 1 tbsp. honey The mixture is boiled 2.5 times, filtered and given to the child to drink;
- compresses made of woolen material: from a mixture of vinegar, camphor and fir oil, the mixture is diluted with water. A dampened cloth is applied to the chest or wraps are made, covering the baby with a warm blanket. Be sure to monitor the child's normal breathing;
- You can pour mustard into socks and put them on the child’s feet.
During illness and recovery, a sick child and adult should receive nutritious dietary food. Exclude from the diet: smoked meats, pickles, marinades, fatty food, sweets, honey, nuts.
Complications after whooping cough
Complications after whooping cough are varied: from violation cerebral circulation to thrombosis of the sublingual veins.
For more quick recovery Vitamin-mineral complexes Mystic, Ectivi, Chromevital+, adaptogens: ginseng, moringa oleifera are prescribed for a long time. Immunomodulators - Sodium Nucleinate or Dibazol, as well as various sedatives and nootropics - piracetam, nootropil, and to restore cerebral circulation - Cavinton and Pantogan.
Quite often, as a result of whooping cough, encephalopathy is observed (impaired cerebral circulation and oxygen supply) and bronchitis and pneumonia occur.
In such cases, children are also provided with care in a hospital and standard treatment cephalosporins 3 and 4 generations up to full recovery, rehabilitation is carried out using physical therapy to restore blood circulation and cardiac activity, physiotherapy, oxygen therapy and other effective methods. In some cases, oxygen masks are recommended.
Please note that self-medication for whooping cough is extremely contraindicated and can lead to severe disorders in the child’s body.
There are many techniques practiced by doctors in infectious diseases departments that allow you to fully recover from an illness, but only with correct actions parents during illness and recovery.
Be sure to follow the vaccination schedule. It would also be a good idea to look at the recommendations regarding this disease from the famous doctor Komarovsky:
We hope that after reading this article, if you identify symptoms of whooping cough in children, you will be able to immediately begin full treatment.
After all, the symptoms and treatment of whooping cough in children have a number of their own characteristics. Let your child be healthy!
Whooping cough is acute infectious disease which is transmitted by airborne droplets. The disease occurs with symptoms of convulsive paroxysmal cough and damage to the bronchopulmonary and central nervous systems. Mostly young children are susceptible to the disease. Complications of whooping cough usually develop in children with severe forms of the disease.
The prognosis of whooping cough is influenced by the timeliness of detection of the disease, the adequacy of treatment, the age of the patient, the severity of the disease and the presence of concomitant pathology. After the disease, persistent, intense, lifelong immunity develops.
Complications of whooping cough
At timely diagnosis, adequate treatment and proper care, patients recover quickly and do not experience complications of whooping cough. Complications usually develop in children with severe forms of the disease. In adults, complications of whooping cough are extremely rare.
Specific complications of whooping cough
Damage to the frenulum of the tongue and laryngitis
Spasmodic paroxysmal cough is dominant in children. Cough is the cause of an ulcer in the frenulum of the tongue, which occurs as a result of friction of the tongue on the front teeth, or as a result of biting the tongue during an attack. Major changes appear in the area of the vocal cords and larynx. Sometimes the eardrum ruptures.
Rice. 1. The photo shows specific complications of whooping cough in children. As a result of coughing during the disease, it often develops hyperplastic laryngitis(photo on the left) and a wound appears in the area of the frenulum (photo on the right).
Damage to blood vessels and heart
Cough paroxysms cause circulatory disorders. Severe attacks of convulsive cough and decreased capillary resistance lead to a sharp increase in pressure in the vessels of the head and neck, which leads to hemorrhages in the area of the inner corners and anterior chamber of the eyes, conjunctiva, mucous membrane of the nasal and oral cavity, and inner ear.
Hemorrhages during whooping cough are also found in the heart muscle, liver, kidneys, brain (bottom of the fourth ventricle) and spinal cord.
Frequent periods of blood stagnation in the superior vena cava lead to hypertrophy of the walls of the right ventricle.
Rice. 2. One of the complications of whooping cough is hemorrhage under the conjunctiva of the eyes.
Atelectasis and emphysema
Impaired drainage function of the bronchi, accumulation of mucus and the formation of mucous-epithelial plugs are the cause of the development of more often segmental, less often lobar atelectasis and pulmonary emphysema. Atelectasis develops more often in older children, less often in children under one year of age.
Spontaneous pneumothorax and subcutaneous emphysema are rare.
Rice. 3. The photo shows pulmonary emphysema (left) and atelectasis (right).
Complications from the nervous system
Complications from the nervous system often develop in infants with severe whooping cough complicated by pneumonia. Circulatory disorders are associated with the effect of pertussis toxin on the brain vessels and the resulting oxygen starvation. Hypoxia and hypoxemia lead to the development of acidosis - an increase in the level of acidity in the child’s body, which also negatively affects the functioning of the central nervous system.
Lack of oxygen, which appears as a result of impaired ventilation of the lungs, leads to brain hypoxia and subsequent death nerve cells, as well as seizures. Convulsions appear in a child at the height of a spasmodic cough. They are repeated several times during the day and occur with loss of consciousness. Seizures are often the cause of death.
With hemorrhages in the brain, spastic paralysis and temporary paresis of the cranial nerves develop.
Rice. 4. In the photo, the arrows indicate multiple hemorrhages in the brain tissue.
Breathing rhythm disturbance
An attack of convulsive cough can cause holding your breath (apnea) and stopping breathing (complete apnea). Apnea lasts up to 30 seconds. Stopping breathing lasts more than 30 seconds.
Paralytic or syncopal apnea occurs in children with whooping cough due to prematurity, damage to the central nervous system during childbirth, or the presence of intrauterine infection.
Rice. 5. With whooping cough, loss of consciousness and respiratory arrest are sometimes observed, which drives the child’s parents into despair.
Eating disorders and hypovitaminosis
With severe whooping cough, children, especially infancy, quickly lose weight. Weight loss leads to a decrease in the body's nonspecific resistance to the effects of pathogenic microorganisms and hypovitaminosis.
Rice. 6. With whooping cough, infants quickly lose weight.
Hernias
Cough paroxysms with whooping cough and frequent cough with bronchitis cause the appearance of umbilical hernias and prolapse of the mucous and submucosal layers of the rectum. The reason for this is an increase in intra-abdominal pressure. A similar pathology is more often observed in children whose disease has led to emaciation or malnutrition, when a child’s body weight deficit (hypotrophy) develops.
Rice. 7. One of the rare complications of whooping cough, which is caused by an increase in intra-abdominal pressure during frequent attacks of spasmodic cough, is an umbilical hernia and prolapse of the mucous and submucosal layers of the rectum.
Insufficient ventilation of the lungs and nutritional disorders with the subsequent development of hypovitaminosis lead to the development of secondary bacterial flora and the development of secondary immunodeficiency. Staphylococci, pneumococci and streptococci are obligatory participants in the inflammatory process in the airways and lung tissue. ARVI, microplasma and also play a big role in the development of complications of whooping cough.
In the airways (larynx, trachea, bronchi and nasal mucosa), inflammation develops like serous catarrh, sometimes with fibrinous and necrotic components. Inflammation of the smallest bronchi and bronchioles (bronchiolitis) and pneumonia due to whooping cough are the main cause of death in children. Sometimes the pleura, tonsils, The lymph nodes and inner ear.
Complications occur much more often when whooping cough and measles, dysentery and other diseases are combined. There have been cases of exacerbation of tuberculosis.
Pneumonia due to whooping cough
Bronchiolitis (inflammation of the terminal branches of the bronchial tree) and bronchopneumonia develop during the culmination of a period of spasmodic cough.
Pertussis and secondary bacterial flora are the most common reasons pneumonia. At the beginning of the period of spasmodic cough, whooping cough pneumonia occurs more often. During the period of culmination of convulsive cough, the causes of pneumonia are often staphylococci, pneumococci and streptococci.
The development of pneumonia is promoted by spasm of the airways and the formation of mucopurulent plugs, with the subsequent development of atelectasis, dysfunction of the respiratory muscles and stagnation in the pulmonary circulation. The development of pneumonia is complicated by allergization of the child’s body. Pneumonia develops more often in premature babies, children with malnutrition, diathesis, dysbacteriosis and anemia.
A characteristic feature of pneumonia in whooping cough is its confluent nature, sluggish and long-term course with frequent relapses and a weak response to antibacterial treatment.
Inflammation of the smallest bronchi and pneumonia are the main causes of death in children. Up to 90% of children under 3 years of age die from pneumonia.
Rice. 8. In the photo on the left is atelectasis right lung. The upper lobe is homogeneously darkened. In the photo on the right there is confluent pneumonia localized in the lower lobes.
Whooping cough prognosis
The prognosis of whooping cough is influenced by the timeliness of detection of the disease, the adequacy of treatment, the age of the patient, the severity of the disease and the presence of concomitant pathology.
The mortality rate of the disease is hundredths of a percent and is observed among infants. The main causes of death among them are cerebrovascular accident and pneumonia. Up to 90% of children under 3 years of age die from pneumonia.
The layering of acute respiratory infections makes the prognosis of whooping cough extremely unfavorable.
The long-term prognosis of whooping cough is influenced by severe hypoxemia, apnea and convulsions, which lead in the future to neuroses, absent-mindedness, mental retardation and epilepsy.
Damage to the bronchopulmonary apparatus leads to the development of bronchiectasis and chronic pneumonia.
Rice. 9. Medical objections and parental refusals to vaccinate are often the cause of the disease.
Immunity after whooping cough
Susceptibility to pertussis infection in children and adults is very high. The contagiousness index for whooping cough is 0.7 - 1.0. This means that whooping cough affects 70 to 100 people out of a hundred who have not previously been sick and have not been vaccinated against the disease and were in close contact with patients. Children in the first days and first year of life are most susceptible to the disease.
Immunity for whooping cough develops after illness and after vaccination. After the disease, persistent, intense, lifelong immunity develops. Weakened immunity after vaccination often develops in school-age children and adults. Maternal immunity in a newborn lasts for 4 - 6 weeks.
Rice. 10. With timely diagnosis, adequate treatment and proper care, sick children quickly recover and do not experience complications of whooping cough. After the disease, persistent, intense, lifelong immunity develops.
This infectious pathology is almost the only typical sign which causes a paroxysmal, uncontrollable, suffocating cough, caused by the Bordetella pertussis bacillus. In its case, the danger to health and life (especially for a child under 2 years old) is created by 2 factors - the fact that it is a bacterium, not a virus, and difficulties in recognizing whooping cough in time. Immunity to it is developed, and it is even resistant, but only if you get sick from it. Vaccination against whooping cough gives short-term and partial results.
Impact of the disease on the immune system
Immunity to viruses almost always occurs - except for isolated pathogens that attack the immune bodies themselves, such as HIV or.
Among bacteria there are much more exceptions. The causative agent of whooping cough, transmitted by airborne droplets, does not affect the body's defenses. But in the process of life it produces a toxin that irritates the so-called. nervus vagus– 1 of 12 bundles of neurons that carry signals from the cortex to all vital organs, including the heart, pharynx, larynx, esophagus, and pulmonary diaphragm.
The cough associated with whooping cough is not so much due to infection as to this irritation. It is dangerous due to the lack of response to typical remedies designed to thin mucus or relieve bronchospasm. Its consequences can be oxygen starvation and suffocation, which is unpleasant, but not fatal for an adult, and can lead to brain damage in a child.
Disappearance of pathology symptoms upon completion acute period does not mean getting rid of the pathogen. There are no specific drugs against Bordetella. Usually it simply “subsides”, leaving the patient as an asymptomatic carrier for the rest of his life. Signs of whooping cough may also be absent in persons with severe immunodeficiency or who have been vaccinated.
Immunity after whooping cough: how to increase?
Whooping cough does not lead to a significant or long-term reduction. But in its development there is a so-called catarrhal stage, accompanied by inflammation of the tonsils, soft palate, larynx and bronchi.
They become the result of local proliferation of the bacillus, and can temporarily increase the susceptibility of affected tissues to other respiratory infections. After whooping cough in such cases, general strengthening, not special, means are sufficient.
Vitamins
They are not superfluous or harmful, since they participate in the synthesis of any proteins and cells of the body, including immune ones. Microelements play a similar role. With their stable shortage, the processes of synthesis of protective agents in bone marrow. usually cover the most equally. The wider the composition of the complex taken by the patient, the more guarantees that it takes into account all possible “gaps” of the diet and features environment(in some places the soil and water are more saturated with minerals, in others they are weaker). Among them:
- “ ” - 20 minerals and with an emphasis on group B of domestic production. Its basic “equipment” costs the least – around 175 rubles. Its specialized options for premenopausal patients leading an active lifestyle or suffering from certain nutritional deficiencies are more expensive - from 240 to almost 900 rubles. Particular attention should be paid chewable tablets for 235-240 rubles. They put less strain on the system of absorption and metabolism;
- “Vitrum” is a more universal American complex with more than 30 “seats”. Classic ones in a shell will cost 520 rubles, and special ones (for vision, and different ages) cost from 475 (easily digestible vitamin marmalade for children) to 1225 (to improve vision) rubles;
- “Multi-Tabs” is a Danish complex of 19 most intensively consumed minerals with vitamins. The cheapest option is around 385 rubles, and the most expensive is the “set” for pregnant women (approximately 735 rubles). "Multi-tabs" has several modifications for children, athletes and people with immunodeficiencies. The cost of the “Immuno plus” option is about 635 rubles.
Folk remedies
Effective ways to stop a hacking cough in acute stage Whooping cough still does not exist, but in the case of it, you need to strive to increase the resistance of the tonsils and bronchi. As a rule, phytoncides of onion, garlic and pine needles help to quickly relieve inflammation.
- Garlic water. It is prepared by grinding and infusing 5 large cloves in a glass of boiling water for 1 hour. Then you need to strain the infusion, add a teaspoon of honey and drink half of it in warm, small sips. Drink the second half after 6 hours.
- Pine decoction. 1 tsp. crushed pine needles and buds of pine, fir and thuja are poured with warm water and brought to a boil. Then turn the flame down to low and leave to simmer under the lid for 10 minutes. The finished product is used either for inhalation (15 minutes, 4 times a day), or the herbal part is strained off and drunk 50 ml, warm, in the morning and evening, after meals;
- Onions in honey. To prepare it, you need to peel and grind through a meat grinder (a blender will do) 0.5 kg onions, add 400 g of honey to the gruel with juice, stir until smooth and consume 1 tbsp. l., 4 times a day, until the cough stops.
Helps against whooping cough, etc. sweet radish, which is made by squeezing fresh juice from 1 large radish and adding 1 dess. spoons of sugar.
Therapeutic measures for whooping cough are reduced to the rapid relief of spasms respiratory tract. Both inhalations and other physiotherapeutic techniques are suitable for this.
- Fresh air. Especially moderately humid, cool and steamy sea salt simulating the microclimate of the sea coast. Using a humidifier, a salt lamp and an air conditioner together helps to create a similar “environment” in a city apartment.
- Fractional meals. Switching to small portions in children and adults with whooping cough can reduce the risk of new attacks of suffocation during swallowing and vomiting, which often ends with such a hysterical cough.
- Relaxing treatments. Warm with essential pine, lavender, fir, light chest cells to the collarbones and the upper part of the abdominal muscles tense due to coughing.
- Warming compresses. They are made on chest, a little closer to the solar plexus, and not at the neck itself, as is customary with.
During the rehabilitation period, everyone age groups long walks at temperatures not lower than 20 0 C, trotting with a weekly increase in time from the initial 10 to 40 minutes are shown.
How is immunity to whooping cough developed?
If it is the result of infection with live Bordetella pertussis bacteria, after treatment of whooping cough, strong and lifelong immunity occurs. Re-infection in this scenario becomes impossible. And with vaccination, there is a noticeable difference between the “attitude” protective systems to them and viruses.
Resistance also develops after vaccination, but it is not absolute. The procedure must be repeated 2-3 more times, with an interval of 1.5 months. in children and 1.5 years in adults. Infection of a vaccinated patient of any age with a live pathogen will be easier and cannot be completely avoided.
There is often confusion when diagnosing the disease. It can easily be mistaken for tonsillitis, sore throat, neuralgia, or bronchial asthma– especially in adults (they are more likely to have an atypical or hidden course of whooping cough).
To confirm the presence or absence of immunity to the pathogen, blood is used for leukocytes. Their number in whooping cough is increased, and the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), which increases with any inflammatory processes, remains normal. The point of diagnosis is determined by the detection of the rod in scrapings from the tonsils, sputum, and nasal mucous discharge.
