Whooping cough may not exhibit symptoms in adults, but may lead to complications. Take a suitable cough syrup for the dry cough to prevent chronic cough.

I Am An Adult, Should I Be Worried About Getting Whooping Cough?

Overview

<a href="https://www.merisehat.pk/disease/whopping-cough">Whooping cough</a> is a very contagious disease, and while the infection is common in infants, people of all ages can contract it.

The symptoms of whooping cough are less severe in adults compared to children. Infants who are not vaccinated are at the highest risk of developing complications and severe symptoms from whooping cough.

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Understanding Adult Whooping Cough

Adults can also be affected by whooping cough; however, it is less severe compared to children<a href="#accordion">[1]</a>.

Their symptoms are less severe in contrast to children because their immunity is stronger from previous infections and vaccinations.

Bordetella pertussis causes whooping cough and this bacteria spread through the air when someone with the infection sneezes or coughs. The symptoms develop five to ten days after being exposed, but for some people, symptoms don&rsquo;t develop for weeks.

Whooping cough has three developmental stages:

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<h5>Stage 1</h5>

The early stage of the disease is very contagious. Furthermore, whooping cough has mild, cold-like symptoms, which last for one to two weeks. For example:

<ul>
	<li>Sneezing</li>
	<li>Runny nose</li>
	<li>Low-grade fever</li>
	<li>Mild cough</li>
	<li>Fatigue</li>
	<li>Watery eyes</li>
</ul>

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<h5>Stage 2</h5>

People develop a persistent and severe cough after some time, and it can leave them gasping for air. The whooping sound of the cough happens when people inhale sharply to catch their breath after coughing a lot. People remain contagious in the second stage, and the symptoms last from one to six weeks.

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<h5>Stage 3</h5>

The cough improves gradually in the final stage and the coughing fits decrease. People are not contagious when they&rsquo;re in stage 3. However, they are at risk of developing other infections, which slows down the process of recovery.

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A doctor diagnoses whooping cough through a person’s medical history and current symptoms.Moreover, doctors misdiagnose whooping cough as a common cold or respiratory infection in most adult cases due to the absence of severe symptoms in adults.However, if a doctor suspects whooping cough in an adult, certain tests are prescribed. These tests include a nasopharyngeal swab, where the doctor collects a sample of the mucus through the nose for the analysis of B. pertussis bacteria.

Whooping cough can lead to insomnia and adults can develop secondary complications from the cough. The violent coughing fits can cause fainting and fractures of the ribs.

The other potential complications in adults are the following:

<ul>
	<li>Difficulty falling asleep or sleepless nights</li>
	<li>Sleep apnea</li>
	<li>Weight loss</li>
	<li>Eye infections</li>
	<li>Pneumonia</li>
</ul>

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The treatment varies based on the duration of the illness and severity of the symptoms, which is usually antibiotics therapy.

Early treatment with antibiotics can reduce the severity and speed up the recovery. Moreover, it also prevents people from transmitting the bacteria. Your physician will prescribe antibiotics to you and your household.

According to CDC, antibacterial treatment is most effective during the first two or three weeks of infection, before the coughing fit starts<a href="#accordion">[2]</a>.&nbsp;

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Key Points

<ul>
	<li>Whooping cough usually occurs in children, but people of any age can be affected by it, even adults.</li>
	<li>Pertussis has the distinct coughing sound that sounds like a whoop.</li>
	<li>Using cough medications is not recommended in pertussis (whooping cough).</li>
	<li>Vaccinated people can also be carriers of whooping cough.</li>
	<li>Several steps can be taken for the management of pertussis and to prevent it from spreading to others.</li>
</ul>

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[1] Zycinska, K., Cieplak, M., Chmielewska, M., Nitsch-Osuch, A., Klaczkow, A., Hadzik-Blaszczyk, M., Kur, Z. and Wardyn, K.A., 2016. Whooping cough in adults: a series of severe cases. In Pathobiology of Pulmonary Disorders (pp. 47-50). Springer, Cham.

[2] Wirsing von König, C.H., Tacken, A. and Finger, H., 1991. Whooping cough in adults. Deutsche Medizinische Wochenschrift (1946), 116(17), pp.649-653.

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