Whooping cough in children: symptoms and treatment, prevention

One of the most common diseases in children is whooping cough. In younger children, the course of the disease can be very difficult. To prevent dangerous complications of this disease, fathers and mothers must know the main symptoms and manifestations of whooping cough.

Acute respiratory disease that causes affection of the upper respiratory tract in babies is called whooping cough. This disease is characterized by seasonal bursts of morbidity.

Most often, whooping cough occurs in the cold season, but children can get sick in July-September. Pediatricians note that babies are prone to this serious infection at almost any time of the year.

Microorganisms are quickly transmitted from a sick child to a healthy one, causing clinical manifestations of the disease.

The bacterium that causes whooping cough damages the epithelial cells of the upper respiratory tract. If a child has lowered immunity, then it quickly spreads throughout the body, which leads to an increase in symptoms of intoxication. In children, the temperature rises, weakness appears, as well as chills and a strong cough.

The disease has a bacterial nature. The alien pertussis bacterium penetrates through airborne droplets into the children's organism and causes severe inflammation in the upper respiratory tract. The source of the disease is a rod-shaped pertussis bacterium. She quickly finds epithelial cells and causes damage to them.

Bacterial sticks can be of different types. Some cause severe inflammation, as a result of which the disease proceeds in a more severe form. Others are less aggressive for a child’s body.

On average, the duration of the incubation period is about two weeks. This time is considered from the moment the pathogenic bacteria first enters the body until the first symptoms of the disease appear. In some babies, the duration of the incubation period can be as little as a week: it depends on the initial level of children's immunity.

The time until the first symptoms of the disease appear also depends on the age and characteristics of the baby’s body. If a child is depleted or has recently suffered an acute respiratory illness, the flu, the likelihood that the incubation period will be shorter is much higher.

The accumulation of bacteria occurs in saliva. Infection is carried out through the airborne method of transmission.

During breathing (as well as in violation of personal hygiene), microbes along with particles of saliva can penetrate from a patient into a healthy organism. This is the beginning of the disease.

In order to prevent each family member must have their own dishes. Using someone else's toothbrushes is strictly prohibited. All this can lead to the rapid spread of the disease.

Whooping cough can often occur under the guise of any other acute viral respiratory disease. Often it is manifested by the first characteristic symptoms:

• Increase in body temperature to 38-39 degrees already in the first week of the disease. This increase is increasing rapidly. The temperature for a long time remains quite high (despite ongoing therapy with antipyretic drugs). The higher it is, the more intoxication symptoms appears in the baby.
• Coughing. During the first two weeks after the onset of the disease, the child coughs almost constantly, without respite. Doctors note that in the evening or at night the cough increases markedly. Towards the end of the second week, the child coughs no longer constantly, but with seizures. The paroxysmal "barking" cough is usually characteristic. After a short breath, the baby makes 7-10 cough sounds on the exhale. At the same time the nature of the cough is somewhat whistling. This is due to the fact that during inhalation the air flow passes through the damaged ligaments. The voice becomes hoarse, the baby hardly speaks.
• Symptoms of intoxication. The child becomes very sluggish, refuses to eat. His appetite is noticeably reduced. Toddler becomes uninteresting lessons that are familiar to him, which gave him pleasure. The children are very weak, spend more time in bed, act up. In children with high temperature, there is a severe headache, as well as nausea (or even vomiting).
• Behavior change. The child, exhausted by long bouts of severe coughing, becomes very moody, nervous. Many children withdraw into themselves, refuse to communicate with their peers. Excessive coughing can even cause vomiting (especially by the end of the first week of illness). The stomach is healthy. This is due to nerve irritation due to bacterial infection. In the interictal period, children feel quite healthy and play. With increased coughing, their well-being deteriorates markedly.

Manifestations of the disease can vary considerably. These features are well traced in children of different ages.

In newborn babies, the disease can have a very unfavorable outcome and a severe course. Research data says that every second infant with whooping cough dies. This is due to the peculiarity of the structure and functioning of the immune and nervous systems of the infant. The fragile children's organism is not yet capable of fighting aggressive bacteria.

For older children, a fairly predictable course of the disease is characteristic. In children older than five years, the incubation period usually lasts 14 days.. Increased body temperature and severity of coughing depends on how weak the child’s body is. If the disease is relatively mild, then the general condition of the baby does not suffer much. Vaccinated children suffer the disease more easily than children without pertussis vaccine.

The disease can occur in several ways (depending on the initial level of immunity). In the case of mild seizures, coughing attacks disturb the baby quite rarely (up to 10-15 times a day). Body temperature rises to 37-37.5 degrees. Symptoms of intoxication are quite weak. Kids remain quite active, the behavior changes slightly.

With medium-severe course of the disease, coughing attacks noticeably increase.During the day, the baby can cough almost non-stop. Body temperature rises already to 38 degrees. Against the background of its increase, vomiting may occur. Kids feel much worse. They become very whiny, do not want to play with toys, refuse to eat.

Severe illness requires urgent hospitalization and emergency medical care. With this variant of the disease, the body temperature in babies rises to 39 degrees or more. A severe headache appears, clouding of consciousness may occur. The attacks of coughing are very strong. The baby quickly gets tired after a long cough. The child categorically refuses food. Many babies begin a real fever (with chills and severe symptoms of intoxication). The disease can occur in several ways, depending on the initial level of immunity.

This disease is characterized by specific symptoms that are very difficult to confuse with other acute respiratory infections. To make the correct diagnosis on the nature of cough is quite simple. If a child attends an educational institution, in this case, the pediatrician is much easier to determine whooping cough. In sick children the same symptoms will be revealed, which indicate the uniformity of the source of the disease.

In rare cases (when it is difficult to diagnose a child), doctors resort to auxiliary tests. One of the most simple laboratory tests, which allows you to specify the diagnosis, is a complete blood count. It allows you to see an increase in the number of protective immune cells - leukocytes. This indicates the presence of infection in the body of the baby. Analyzing the leukocyte formula, the doctor will issue a conclusion on whether there is a microbe in the baby’s body.

Backwater from the back of the pharynx in the early stages of the disease can show the presence of pertussis. However, this method is not always highly informative. In the later stages of the disease, the effectiveness of this test is almost nil.

It allows you to accurately determine the presence of pertussis in the body of a baby. The disadvantage of this analysis is quite high cost.

Babies who received pertussis vaccinations suffer from this disease much less frequently than their unvaccinated peers.

With this course of the disease, coughing attacks are much less pronounced. Body temperature rises to 37-37.5 degrees. Kids practically do not change their usual behavior. In many cases, their appetite is preserved, they eat good food.

There have been cases when pediatricians could not recognize whooping cough from vaccinated babies. Erased symptoms and manifestations of the disease were confusing doctors and parents. It is important to remember that even a child who has been immunized has a disease. However, the treatment will be much easier. Vaccinated babies also have relatively rare life-threatening complications.

The disease proceeds in several stages:

1. Catarrhal period. It comes from the end of the incubation period. Usually, body temperature does not rise very much (up to 37-37.5 degrees). By the end of the first week, a dry cough gradually appears. It is greatly enhanced by the afternoon. At night, coughing can become intolerable. Its character varies greatly during the entire catarrhal period. First there are a few bouts per day.By the end of the first week the child coughs almost constantly, without stopping. For this period is characterized by an increase in symptoms of intoxication. Irritability and nervousness appear. If the disease is severe, then it develops rapidly. In older children, this period usually lasts no more than two weeks.
2. Paroxysmal period. At this time, the cough increases strongly and turns into real seizures. As a rule, the development of this period begins in the second or third week of the disease. Many parents at this time recognize the characteristic symptoms and the correct diagnosis. Coughing becomes a bother, worries the baby during the whole day. It should be noted that in vaccinated children the disease occurs in a milder form. This can confuse dads, moms and even some inexperienced pediatricians.
3. Permit period. Develops in the third or fourth week since the onset of the disease. At this time, as a rule, all the necessary antibacterial drug therapy is prescribed. The body of the baby with the help of drugs begins to actively destroy microbes. This gradually leads to recovery. The phlegm that is released during coughing attacks becomes more yellow. Over time, it ceases to stand out, and the baby begins to feel much better.

Children under one year are treated in a hospital. Since infants have a high lethality from pertussis infection, home treatment for them is strictly prohibited. Even with milder forms of the disease, babies in the first year of life are treated strictly in the conditions of children's departments of hospitals and clinics.

Doctors prescribe babies not only cough medicine, but also a special diet. It helps to maintain the immunity of the child and restore his strength. Feed the baby fractional. Meals are distributed evenly, at least 5-6 times a day. All dishes are prepared sparingly, without roasting.

If the disease is detected in the early period, the kids receive antibiotic therapy. To relieve cough, doctors prescribe antitussive and expectorant drugs. Babies are recommended to drink plenty of water. Active games during the acute period of illness are excluded.

The use of antibacterial drugs can only be indicated at the very beginning of the disease. Precisely at this time, whooping cough is very susceptible to the destructive effects of medicines.

For children with strong immunity, home treatment is allowed. In this case, the baby must necessarily inspect the doctor. If the disease in the child is mild, the doctor will give all the necessary recommendations and allow you to cure at home.

Severe course of the disease implies finding a baby in the hospital. In stationary conditions, doctors will be able to relieve coughing attacks, as well as reduce toxic symptoms. Impaired babies with low immunity often require intravenous medications. This can be done only in the hospital, under the clock medical supervision.

During illness, the baby will be assigned a special therapeutic food.It aims to ensure that the children's body had enough strength to fight infection. A diet during illness should minimize all negative symptoms of the disease, reduce nausea and strengthen the child’s strength.

The basis of therapeutic nutrition is the daily consumption of protein-rich foods. These include meat and fish products, poultry. Fresh sour milk products are also perfect for young children.

For breakfast, you can make porridge or cottage cheese with fruit or berries. For lunch - low-fat soup in chicken broth with the addition of small vermicelli. Dinner baby can braised chicken with baked vegetables.

All products with a sharp, sour taste, as well as pickled and fermented dishes are excluded from the children's menu. Spices and flavorings can greatly irritate taste buds, intensifying coughing episodes. It is also not recommended to add allergenic products to the baby’s menu. They load the immune system, interfering with the rapid recovery and cure of the disease.

To reduce the symptoms of intoxication, be sure to give your child enough liquid. It can be warm water, tea, as well as compotes or fruit drinks, cooked on the basis of berries or dried fruit. Eating dry food is strictly prohibited. Dry food irritates the throat and oropharynx, which also contributes to increased cough.

Whooping cough is a dangerous enough disease for any child. The danger of the disease lies in the ability of bacteria to cause serious complications that are dangerous to the life of the baby.

One of the most frequent complications is infectious pneumonia. In this disease affects the lungs. The baby is not breathing well, the symptoms of respiratory failure are increasing. This condition requires emergency medical care and hospitalization.

Whooping cough is a very volatile infection. If in kindergarten one child fell ill, then after a while almost all the children become infected. The main method of prevention of this bacterial infection today is vaccination. Putting vaccinations against whooping cough babies begin with three months.

With the timely formulation of all vaccinations, the child’s immunity acquires resistance to the pathogen. When they meet a bacterium, immune cells recognize the foreign element and begin to actively fight. Children who have received all who received vaccinations against pertussis suffer from them much less often. The disease in these babies is mild, without life-unfavorable complications.

It is very important to instill in the child the rules of personal hygiene from an early age. You need to tell the kid that you can use only a personal toothbrush or glass. This will also save the baby from various bacterial infections. Hardening and strengthening the immunity will prevent the occurrence of any bacterial infections.

With timely diagnosis and prescription of drug therapy, the disease occurs in babies in a rather mild form. According to statistics, whooping cough infection every fifth child. When the first signs of the disease appear, it is important to consult a doctor in time (for prescribing symptomatic treatment).

What is the specificity of this disease? How can I diagnose whooping cough? How to treat this infection? How effective is a pertussis vaccine? All these questions will be answered by Dr. Komarovsky in the next video.