Whooping Cough in Adults: Symptoms & Signs

Although whooping cough is common among children and infants, adults are still not exempted in having this kind of disease. Whooping cough, or medically known as pertussis, is a type of respiratory infection that is caused by a bacterium known as Bordatella pertussis. Once this bacterium attacks the system, it will initially cause a cold-like reaction before it could develop in coughs. These coughs could last for months especially if the main problem is left untreated and neglected. Others may even still exhibit coughing even after having an antibiotic treatment. This only proves that pertussis or whooping cough is no condition to joke around. The name whooping cough was also termed due to the evident “whoop” sound that follows a bout of coughing upon inspiration. So what are the different whooping cough adult symptoms?

The symptoms of whooping cough usually appear 6 to 20 days after the infection of the Bordatella pertussis bacterium. This time set is otherwise known as the incubation period, which usually varies from one infection to another. In addition to this, pertussis also exhibits its symptoms in different stages. It starts with the mild symptoms followed by a more severe or prominent reactions before it can proceed to the healing stage. Some of the early symptoms of whooping cough include sneezing, watering or eyes, runny (rhinorrhea) or clogged (congested) nose, sore throat, slight febrile condition and the presence of dry and irritating coughs. Early symptoms may also include anergia, which is the absence or lack of energy making the body weak.

These early signs and symptoms of the whooping cough usually last for 1 to 2 weeks before heading to the paroxysmal symptoms. The paroxysmal period is considered to be the 2nd stage of pertussis wherein it is characterized by increased bouts of coughing. This stage likewise shows signs of intense coughing with phlegm production. The “whoop” sound is also more audible in this stage, which occurs upon deep intake of breath after coughing. This symptom is very common in adults since most children and infants do not exhibit any whooping reaction. Fatigue or tiredness is also evident, which is due to the constant and continuous coughing as well as the presence of facial redness resulting from the forceful effort in coughing.

Each coughing bout usual lasts for one to two minutes. Every day, the number of bouts experienced by a person varies, but usually coughing bouts happen between 12 to 15 times in a day. These are just some of the symptoms of pertussis or whooping cough in adults. It is essential for us to become knowledgeable about symptoms of this disease in order for proper and immediate preventive and treatment measures to be handed.

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