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Health Dictionary

Reliable, easy-to-read patient information on common medical conditions — written in plain language, free of jargon, and grounded in current evidence. Browse the most frequent diagnoses, understand what they mean for everyday life, and learn which steps and questions help you have a focused conversation with your doctor.

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Pertussis history and symptoms

Introduction

Overview

Overview

Initially, symptoms of pertussis include cough, sneezing, and runny nose. After one to two weeks, the cough changes character, and patients typically experience whooping cough, which are paroxysms of violent coughing followed by an inspiratory “whooping” sound.

Symptoms

Symptoms

  • The clinical course of the illness is divided into three stages: catarrhal, paroxysmal and convalescent.
  • The symptoms vary among stages with the paroxysmal stage being the most severe.
  • Pertussis is a prolonged illness that can last from a few weeks to several months.

The table below summarizes the key symptoms in each stage.[1]

Stage Key Symptoms
Catarrhal
(4-21 days)
Paroxysmal
(1-10 weeks)
  • Paroxysms of rapid coughs with long inspiratory effort & high-pitched “whoop” at the end of the paroxysms
  • More frequently at night
Convalescent
(4-21 days)
  • Persistence of paroxysmal coughs, but less frequently

Pertussis in Adults

  • Although pertussis may manifest similarly in adults, a significant number of cases may have a atypical presentation.
  • This may be attributed to the fact that the majority of adults have some form of residual immunity from their childhood vaccinations.
  • Symptoms may be shorter in duration, and patients may not follow the regular stages of the illness.
  • Atypical symptoms in adults include sweating attacks, syncope, and encephalopathy.[2]
References

References

  1. ↑ Pertussis Clinical Features. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2016). http://www.cdc.gov/pertussis/clinical/features.html. Accessed on January 14, 2016.
  2. ↑ von König CH, Halperin S, Riffelmann M, Guiso N (2002). “Pertussis of adults and infants”. Lancet Infect Dis. 2 (12): 744–50. PMID 12467690.

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Serge Korjian M.D.; Aditya Govindavarjhulla, M.B.B.S. [2]; Yazan Daaboul, M.D.