Whooping Cough

Also called: Pertussis Whooping Cough

MEDICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA

Pertussis

National Institutes of Health

The primary NIH organization for research on Whooping Cough is theNational Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

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Whooping Cough Diagnosis

07/25/2018 01:54 PM EDT

Source: National Library of Medicine - From the National Institutes of Health

Summary

Whooping cough is an infectious bacterial disease that causes uncontrollable coughing. The name comes from the noise you make when you take a breath after you cough. You may have choking spells or may cough so hard that you vomit.

Anyone can get whooping cough, but it is more common in infants and children. It's especially dangerous for infants. The coughing spells can be so bad that it is hard for infants to eat, drink, or breathe.

To make a diagnosis, your doctor may do a physical exam, blood tests, chest x-rays, or nose or throat cultures.

Before there was a vaccine, whooping cough was one of the most common childhood diseases and a major cause of childhood deaths in the U.S. Now most cases are prevented by vaccines. If you have whooping cough, treatment with antibiotics may help if given early.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Start Here

Pertussis (Whooping Cough) (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
Pertussis Frequently Asked Questions (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)Also in Spanish
Whooping Cough (American Academy of Family Physicians)Also in Spanish
Whooping Cough (Pertussis) (Nemours Foundation)Also in Spanish

Symptoms

Pertussis Signs & Symptoms (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)Also in Spanish

Diagnosis and Tests

Whooping Cough Diagnosis (National Library of Medicine)Also in Spanish

Prevention and Risk Factors

Tetanus, Diphtheria, and Pertussis Vaccines: MedlinePlus Health Topic (National Library of Medicine)Also in Spanish

Treatments and Therapies

Pertussis Diagnosis & Treatment (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)Also in Spanish

Related Issues

Pertussis (Whooping Cough) Complications (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)Also in Spanish

Images

Photos of Pertussis (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)Also in Spanish

Videos and Tutorials

One Family's Struggles with Pertussis (Whooping Cough) (Parents of Kids with Infectious Diseases)

Statistics and Research

FastStats: Whooping Cough or Pertussis (National Center for Health Statistics)
Pertussis (Whooping Cough) Outbreaks (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)Also in Spanish

Clinical Trials

ClinicalTrials.gov: Whooping Cough (National Institutes of Health)

Journal ArticlesReferences and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

Find an Expert

Children

Help Protect Babies from Whooping Cough (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)Also in Spanish
Whooping Cough (Pertussis) - Fact Sheet for Parents (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)Also in Spanish
Woes of Whooping Cough (Nemours Foundation)

Teenagers

Whooping Cough and the Pertussis Vaccine (Children's Hospital Boston)Also in Spanish

Women

Preventing Pertussis (Whooping Cough) (American College of Nurse-Midwives) - PDF

Patient Handouts

Pertussis (Medical Encyclopedia)Also in Spanish
Whooping Cough also Known as Pertussis(American Academy of Family Physicians, American Academy of Pediatrics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - PDF