Fever may be absent or low-grade. Inspiratory whooping is a characteristic symptom in children but may be absent in infants, adolescents, and adults. Culture of the bacterium Bordetella pertussis from nasal secretions can confirm the diagnosis, especially early in the course of the disease. A negative culture does not exclude the diagnosis. Other diagnostic tests include polymerase chain reaction PCR and serology. Macrolide antibiotics are the preferred first-line agent for treatment and prophylaxis.
Universal childhood immunisation with the acellular pertussis vaccine is advised. Booster vaccination is recommended for pregnant women. In the third stage, you will start to feel better.
You may still be coughing, but it will probably be less often and less severe. There are different ways to test for whooping cough. Your health care provider may choose one of the following ways to make a whooping cough diagnosis. In addition, your health care provider may order an x-ray to check for inflammation or fluid in the lungs. A positive result probably means you or your child has whooping cough. A negative result doesn't completely rule out whooping cough.
If your results are negative, your health care provider will probably order more tests to confirm or rule out a whooping cough diagnosis. Whooping cough is treated with antibiotics. Antibiotics can make your infection less serious if you start treatment before your cough gets really bad. Treatment may also help prevent you from spreading the disease to others. Learn more about laboratory tests, reference ranges, and understanding results. Before whooping cough vaccines became available in the s, thousands of children in the United States died from the disease every year.
Today, there are between 10, and 50, whooping cough cases reported each year in the United States. While most people fully recover from whooping cough, the disease can be deadly to young babies. Some people worry that childhood vaccines could cause autism. But many scientific studies have looked at this and have found no link between vaccines and autism. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC recommends whooping cough vaccinations for all babies and children, teens, pregnant women, and adults who have not been vaccinated or are not up to date on their vaccines.
Check with your health care provider to see if you or child needs to be vaccinated. However, high risk individuals, including adults with asthma , may be at greater risk for complications. Because the symptoms are similar to those of other respiratory illnesses, it is rare for a diagnosis to be made in the early stages. However, once the illness has progressed, your doctor may be able to make a diagnosis by simply taking a medical history, doing a physical exam and listening to your cough.
To confirm a diagnosis, your doctor may want to run some tests. By taking a nose and throat swab, they can test for the Bordetella pertussis bacteria in culture or a more rapid polymerase chain reaction test.
Your doctor may suggest a blood test to check your white blood cell count, which, if low, signals the presence of an infection. If your doctor is concerned about complications, like pneumonia , they may suggest an imaging test, such as a chest X-ray. This November your donation goes even further to improve lung health and defeat lung cancer. Double Your Gift. Your tax-deductible donation funds lung disease and lung cancer research, new treatments, lung health education, and more.
Diagnosis Confirmation. Minus Related Pages. Culture Since culture has excellent specificity, it is particularly useful for confirming pertussis diagnosis when you suspect an outbreak. PCR Key Resource. Related Pages. Pertussis Outbreaks Outbreak trends, questions and answers, postexposure antimicrobial prophylaxis, control guidelines Expert Commentary. Links with this icon indicate that you are leaving the CDC website.
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