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Whooping cough is another word for pertussis, a highly contagious bacterial infection that causes intense coughing fits, according to the CDC. People who have whooping cough usually make a high ...
“In adults over the age of 65, symptoms almost always include a cough, whereas with the flu, coughing is usually just present in about two-thirds of patients,” he says.
Whooping cough (/ ˈ h uː p ɪ ŋ / or / ˈ w uː p ɪ ŋ /), also known as pertussis or the 100-day cough, is a highly contagious, vaccine-preventable bacterial disease. [1] [10] Initial symptoms are usually similar to those of the common cold with a runny nose, fever, and mild cough, but these are followed by two or three months of severe coughing fits. [1]
The coughing fits, characterized by efforts to expel respiratory secretions, may result in a distinctive whooping sound. Recovery of the organism diminishes significantly during this phase. Although the organism is seldom detected in the blood, it is theorized that the clinical symptoms primarily stem from toxin release.
A habit cough is a chronic cough that has no underlying organic cause or medical diagnosis, [1] [2] and does not respond to conventional medical treatment. [3] This is sometimes called tic cough, somatic cough syndrome and previously psychogenic cough, but without clinical justification.
A lot of different things can cause a cough. But coughs are usually broken down into two main categories: acute and chronic. Acute coughs are ones that come on suddenly, usually due to an illness.
The cough may persist for several weeks afterward with the total duration of symptoms usually around three weeks. [2] [1] Some have symptoms for up to six weeks. [3] In more than 90% of cases, the cause is a viral infection. [1] These viruses may be spread through the air when people cough or by direct contact. [2]
Whooping cough, also called pertussis, is highly contagious and most common in babies, but children and adults can get infected as well, according to Cleveland Clinic.