Course in the child
Whooping cough runs in three stages in children. These include the catarrhal stage, which lasts about one to two weeks. It leads to a cold, which usually does not yet indicate the pertussis symptoms.
In some cases, an accompanying conjunctivitis can occur. The second stage, the convulsive stage, lasts about two to six weeks. This is when seizure-like coughing attacks occur.
Usually the tongue is shown during the cough. The increased pressure caused by the cough can lead to bleeding into the eye. This is caused by the bursting of tiny vessels in the conjunctiva.
After the coughing attack, inhalation can become more difficult and vomiting can occur. The Decrementi stage lasts over a week. This stage describes the subsidence of the disease and is therefore variable in time.
The cough can last up to ten weeks. The infection with whooping cough usually heals without consequences. Since this disease is a serious illness, a dead vaccine against whooping cough is available. According to the STIKO (permanent vaccination commission of the Robert Koch Institute) vaccination calendar, basic immunization starts after the second month of life. Further vaccinations during the course of the disease are necessary.
Course in the infant
The course of the disease in infants is similar to that in children. The difference is on the one hand that the stages of the disease are usually difficult to define in infants. On the other hand, the infant is at risk of a respiratory arrest with subsequent lack of oxygen. Therefore, an infant with a whooping cough infection should always be monitored as an inpatient. In this way a respiratory arrest can be quickly noticed so that it does not lead to consequential damage or even death of the infant.
Course in adults
Adults can also get whooping cough. In adults, the disease is usually milder than in children. The division into stages is usually not so easily recognizable. The disease often presents with mild cold symptoms up to severe flu symptoms. Infected adults can unknowingly transmit the infection to children who do not yet have adequate immune protection.
