One of the most common diseases in children is whooping cough. In young babies, the course of the disease can be very severe. To prevent dangerous complications of this disease, dads and mothers must know the main symptoms and manifestations of whooping cough.
What is it?
An acute respiratory illness that affects 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 susceptible to this serious infection at almost any time of the year.
According to statistics, children under five years of age are most often affected by such a dangerous disease. Sources of the disease are sick babies or those who are not actively sick, but are latent carriers of the infection.
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 the child's immunity is reduced, then it quickly spreads throughout the body, which leads to an increase in the symptoms of intoxication. Babies have a fever, weakness, chills and a severe cough.
Causes
The disease is bacterial in nature. Alien pertussis bacteria enter the child's body by airborne droplets and cause severe inflammation in the upper respiratory tract. The source of the disease is rod-shaped pertussis bacteria. It quickly finds epithelial cells and causes damage.
Bacterial bacilli can be of different types. Some cause severe inflammation, as a result of which the disease is more severe. Others are less aggressive to the child's body.
The child's immune system is not yet ready to fight back hard during the first encounter with the bacteria. For this reason, the disease progresses rapidly and causes severe adverse symptoms.
Incubation period
On average, the incubation period is about two weeks. This time is counted from the moment the pathogenic bacteria first enters the body until the first symptoms of the disease appear. In some children, the incubation period may last as long 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 malnourished or has recently had an acute respiratory illness such as influenza, the chances of a shorter incubation period are much higher.
Babies under seven years of age have relatively low immunity (due to physiological characteristics). For this reason, they fall ill with whooping cough so easily and quickly.
The accumulation of bacteria occurs in saliva. Infection is carried out through an airborne transmission method.
During breathing (as well as in violation of personal hygiene rules), microbes, along with particles of saliva, can penetrate from the patient into a healthy body. This is the beginning of the disease.
For prevention purposes, each family member must have their own dishes. It is strictly forbidden to use other people's toothbrushes. All this can lead to the rapid spread of the disease.
How to recognize: the first signs
Pertussis can often be disguised as any other acute viral respiratory illness. It often manifests itself as the first characteristic symptoms:
- An increase in body temperature to 38-39 degrees in the first week of the disease. This increase is growing rapidly. The temperature remains quite high for a long time (despite the ongoing therapy with antipyretic drugs). The higher it is, the more intoxication symptoms appear in the baby.
- Coughing. During the first two weeks after the onset of the illness, the child coughs almost constantly, without respite. Doctors note that the cough increases markedly in the evening or at night. Towards the end of the second week, the child coughs not constantly, but in fits. Paroxysmal "barking" cough is usually characteristic. After a short breath, the baby makes 7-10 cough sounds as he exhales. In this case, the nature of the cough is somewhat wheezing. This is due to the fact that during inhalation, the air flow passes through the damaged ligaments. The voice becomes hoarse, the baby has difficulty speaking.
- Severe symptoms of intoxication. The child becomes very lethargic, refuses to eat. His appetite decreases markedly. The kid becomes uninteresting for his usual activities, which gave him pleasure. Children are very weak, spend more time in bed, are capricious. Babies at high temperatures have severe headache, as well as nausea (or even vomiting).
- Behavior change. A child, exhausted by prolonged 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 towards 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, they play. With an increase in coughing, their health deteriorates markedly.
The manifestations of the disease can vary significantly. These features are well seen in children of different ages.
In babies
In newborn babies, the disease can have a very unfavorable outcome and a severe course. Research data show that one in two babies who contract whooping cough dies. This is due to the peculiarity of the structure and functioning of the immune and nervous systems of an infant. A fragile child's body is not yet able to fight aggressive bacteria.
For older guys
Older babies are characterized by a fairly predictable course of the disease. In babies over five years old, the incubation period usually lasts 14 days.... The increase in body temperature and the severity of coughing attacks depend on how weak the child's body is. If the disease proceeds in a relatively mild form, then the general condition of the baby does not suffer much. Vaccinated children carry the disease more easily than children without the whooping cough vaccine.
Forms of the disease
The disease can occur in several variants (depending on the initial level of immunity). With a mild course, coughing attacks bother the baby quite rarely (up to 10-15 times during the day). The body temperature rises to 37-37.5 degrees. The symptoms of intoxication are mild enough. Toddlers remain quite active, their behavior changes slightly.
With a moderate-severe course of the disease, coughing attacks noticeably increase. During the day, the baby can cough almost without stopping. The body temperature rises to 38 degrees. Against the background of its increase, vomiting may occur. Babies feel much worse. They become very whiny, do not want to play with toys, refuse to eat.
A severe course of the disease 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 coughing fits are very strong. The kid gets tired quickly after a long cough. The child categorically refuses food. Many children develop a real fever (with chills and severe symptoms of intoxication). The disease can occur in several ways, depending on the initial level of immunity.
Diagnostics
This disease is characterized by specific symptoms that are very difficult to confuse with other acute respiratory infections. It is quite easy to make a correct diagnosis by the nature of the cough. If the child is attending an educational institution, it is much easier for the pediatrician to determine whooping cough. In sick children, the same symptoms will be revealed, which indicate the same type of source of the disease.
In rare cases (when it is difficult to diagnose a child), doctors resort to auxiliary analyzes. One of the simplest laboratory tests to clarify 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 an infection in the baby's body. Analyzing the leukocyte formula, the doctor will issue a conclusion about whether there is a microbe in the baby's body.
Culture from the back of the throat in the early stages of the disease may show the presence of whooping cough. However, this method is not always highly informative. In the later stages of the disease, the effectiveness of this test tends to almost zero.
In private laboratories, additional blood test for the determination of specific antibodies. These are protein molecules that are produced through the immune system in response to a pathogen entering the body. The test is quite informative.
It allows you to accurately determine the presence of whooping cough in the baby's body. The disadvantage of this analysis is the rather high cost.
Do vaccinated babies have?
Babies who have been vaccinated against whooping cough are much less likely to suffer from this disease than their unvaccinated peers.
Even if a vaccinated child develops whooping cough infection, he suffers the disease in a milder form.
With this course of the disease, coughing attacks are much less pronounced. The body temperature rises to 37-37.5 degrees. Babies practically do not change their usual behavior. In many cases, their appetite persists, and they eat regular food well.
There have been cases when pediatricians were unable to recognize whooping cough in vaccinated babies. The erased symptoms and manifestations of the disease confused doctors and parents. It is important to remember that even a child who has received all the vaccinations can get sick. However, the treatment will be much easier. Vaccinated babies also have relatively rare life-threatening complications.
Stages of the disease
The disease proceeds in several stages:
- Catarrhal period. Coming from the end of the incubation period. Usually, the 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 increases significantly by the afternoon. The cough can become unbearable at night. His character changes greatly throughout the catarrhal period. At first, there are several attacks per day. By the end of the first week, the child is coughing almost constantly, without stopping. 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.
- Paroxysmal period... At this time, the cough grows strongly and turns into real attacks. As a rule, the development of this period begins in the second or third week of the disease. It is at this time that many parents learn the characteristic symptoms and the correct diagnosis. The cough becomes harsh, worries the baby throughout the day. It should be noted that in vaccinated children, the disease proceeds in a milder form. This can be confusing for dads, moms, and even some inexperienced pediatricians.
- Permit period... It develops in the third or fourth week after the onset of the disease. At this time, as a rule, all the necessary antibacterial drug therapy is prescribed. The baby's body with the help of drugs begins to actively destroy germs. This gradually leads to recovery. The phlegm that is released during coughing attacks becomes more yellow in color. Over time, she stops standing out, and the baby begins to feel much better.
Treatment
Children under one year old are treated in a hospital. Since infants have a high mortality rate from pertussis infection, treatment at home is strictly prohibited for them. Even with mild 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.
During the treatment, the room where the child is located must be quartzised and treated with disinfectants. If the baby falls ill during the cold season, walks in the fresh air are strictly prohibited. The child is provided with complete rest. In the daily routine, time for daytime sleep is necessarily provided. During such a rest, the baby recovers his strength and recovers faster.
Doctors prescribe babies not only drug therapy for coughs, but also a special diet. It helps to maintain the child's immunity and restore strength. The baby is fed fractionally. Meals are distributed evenly, at least 5-6 times a day. All dishes are prepared in a gentle way, without frying.
If the disease is detected in the early period, babies receive antibiotic therapy. To stop coughing, doctors prescribe antitussives and expectorants. Babies are advised to drink plenty of fluids. Active games during the acute period of the disease are excluded.
Are antibiotics required?
The use of antibacterial drugs can only be indicated at the very beginning of the disease. It is at this time that whooping cough is very susceptible to the harmful effects of medications.
If the period of catarrhal changes is missed, prescribing antibiotics is not only pointless, but even dangerous. This can cause side effects of antibacterial drugs in babies. The decision to prescribe antibiotics is made only by the attending pediatrician.
Can you handle it at home?
For children with strong immunity, treatment at home is allowed. In this case, the baby must be examined by a doctor. If the child's illness is mild, the doctor will give all the necessary recommendations and allow you to cure it at home.
A severe course of the disease involves finding the baby in the hospital. In a stationary setting, doctors will be able to relieve coughing attacks, as well as reduce intoxication symptoms. Weakened babies with low immunity often require intravenous medication. This can only be done in a hospital setting, under round-the-clock medical supervision.
Diet
During illness, the baby will be prescribed a special nutritional therapy. It is aimed at ensuring that the child's body has enough strength to fight infection. The diet during illness should minimize all negative symptoms of the illness, 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 dairy products are also great for toddlers.
For breakfast, you can cook porridge or curd with fruits or berries. For lunch - low-fat soup with chicken broth with the addition of fine vermicelli. The kid can dine with stewed chicken with baked vegetables.
All products with a spicy, sour taste, as well as pickled and fermented dishes are excluded from the children's menu. Spices and flavorings can severely irritate the taste buds, exacerbating coughing fits. It is also not recommended to add allergenic foods to the child's menu. They stress the immune system, preventing rapid recovery and healing from illness.
Be sure to give your child plenty of fluids to reduce symptoms of intoxication. It can be warm water, tea, as well as compotes or fruit drinks, cooked on the basis of berries or dried fruits. Dry food is strictly prohibited. Dry food irritates the pharynx and oropharynx, which also makes the cough worse.
Possible complications
Whooping cough is a very dangerous disease for any child. The danger of the disease lies in the ability of bacteria to cause serious complications that threaten the life of the baby.
One of the most common complications is infectious pneumonia. This disease affects the lungs. The baby does not breathe well, the symptoms of respiratory failure are increasing. This condition requires urgent medical attention and hospitalization.
Pertussis can negatively affect the heart by causing inflammation in the heart muscle. As a rule, this complication occurs quite late. The consequence of it can be detected after a few years, arrhythmia or heart failure. Treatment of this complication is also carried out by a pediatrician (in conjunction with a cardiologist).
Prevention
Whooping cough is a very volatile infection. If one child falls ill in kindergarten, then after a while almost all children become infected. The main method of preventing this bacterial infection today is vaccination. Babies begin to vaccinate against whooping cough as early as three months.
With the timely delivery of all vaccinations, the child's immunity acquires resistance to the pathogen. When meeting a bacterium, cells of the immune system recognize a foreign element and begin to actively fight. Children who have received all the whooping cough vaccinations are much less likely to get sick. The disease in such babies is mild, without complications unfavorable for life.
It is very important to instill in the child the rules of personal hygiene from an early age. You need to tell your baby that you can only use a personal toothbrush or glass. This will also help protect the baby from various bacterial infections. Hardening and strengthening the immune system will prevent the occurrence of any bacterial infections.
With a timely diagnosis and prescription of drug therapy, the disease occurs in babies in a rather mild form. According to statistics, every fifth child falls ill with whooping cough. When the first signs of the disease appear, it is important to consult a doctor in time (to prescribe symptomatic treatment).
What is the specificity of this disease? How can whooping cough be diagnosed? How to treat this infection? How effective is whooping cough vaccine? All these questions will be answered by Dr. Komarovsky in the next video.
