The following are the most important diseases or complications that may be contributed to by pertussis (whooping cough):
Respiratory system (J00-J99)
- Alveolar rupture – rupture of alveoli.
- Pneumonia (lung inflammation) (most common complication, especially in newborns and infants) (10%)
- Pneumothorax – inflow of air in the actually airless pleural space (space between the ribs and lung pleura), this leads to acute respiratory distress!
Eyes and eye appendages (H00-H59).
- Rupture of conjunctival vessels (conjunctival vessels).
Mouth, esophagus (food pipe), stomach, and intestines (K00-K67; K90-K93).
- Inguinal hernia (inguinal hernia).
Ears – mastoid process (H60-H95)
- Otitis media (inflammation of the middle ear) (most common complication, especially in newborns and infants).
Psyche – nervous system (F00-F99; G00-G99).
- Hypoxic encephalopathy – brain damage due to oxygen deprivation.
- Seizures; according to one study, pertussis children also later developed true epilepsy. However, the absolute risk is low (incidence rate: 1.56 per 1,000 person-years; comparison cohort: Incidence rate 0.88 per 1,000 person-years).
Symptoms and abnormal clinical and laboratory findings not elsewhere classified (R00-R99)
- Urinary incontinence (bladder weakness).
- Syncope (momentary loss of consciousness)
Injuries, poisoning, and other sequelae of external causes (S00-T98).
- Rib fractures (rib fractures).
