Does whooping cough sound like?
Whooping cough (pertussis) is a highly contagious respiratory tract infection. In many people, it’s marked by a severe hacking cough followed by a high-pitched intake of breath that sounds like “whoop.” Before the vaccine was developed, whooping cough was considered a childhood disease.
What does a whooping cough sound like in adults?
In some cases — such as when it’s hard to figure out if it’s whooping cough, the flu, or bronchitis — you might need tests. Those often include a nose or throat culture. Your doctor will take a mucus sample and send it to a lab. Technicians will test it to see if it contains the bacteria that causes whooping cough.
Does whooping cough cause wheezing?
Some pediatric patients with pertussis present with wheezing in addition to typical cough symptoms. Typical presentation of pertussis in children and adolescents is prolonged coughing illness, frequently accompanied by inspiratory “whoop” and post-tussive emesis.
What is a paroxysmal cough?
Overview. Paroxysmal coughing involves frequent and violent coughing that can make it hard for a person to breathe. Coughing is an automatic reflex that helps your body get rid of extra mucus, bacteria, and other foreign substances.
Does whooping cough come and go?
Although you are often exhausted after a coughing fit, you usually appear fairly well in-between. Coughing fits generally become more common and bad as the illness continues, and can occur more often at night. The coughing fits can go on for up to 10 weeks or more.
Is whooping cough worse when lying down?
If you are an adult who has been coughing until you vomit for some time, your health care provider may suspect pertussis. Coughing paroxysms often end with a whooping sound. They can happen several times per hour, or 5 to 10 times a day. They often get worse at night and make sleeping hard.