Whooping cough should be considered when adult patients present with a
persistent, yet undiagnosed cough, according to a study by French
clinicians.
This suggestion is based on increasing incidences of parent -infant
transmission of the infection over the past 12 years despite a pertussis
vaccination program that has existed for more than 40 years.
Dr Serge Gilberg from the Faculté de Médecine Necker-Enfant Malades and
colleagues from other specialist units in Paris, France, assessed the
frequency of pertussis in 217 patients who had consulted their general
practitioners regarding a persistent cough. A total of 70 (32 percent) were
confirmed as having whooping cough.
Among the 70 patients, one had a positive culture and there was a positive
polymerase chain reaction in 36. Forty patients displayed increases or
decreases greater than two-fold in anti-pertussis toxin immunoglobulin G (IgG)
titre between serum samples, collected during the acute and convalescent
periods.
Researchers established that patients with confirmed pertussis had had the
cough over a median duration of 49 days, ranging from 13 to 123 days.
Furthermore, 60 percent of the patients with confirmed infection had been
vaccinated and 33 percent had whooping cough in infancy.
Researchers suggest that, in the interest of public health, future studies
should undertake evaluation relative to booster doses of pertussis vaccine
in adults.
ALL INFORMATION, DATA, AND
MATERIAL CONTAINED, PRESENTED, OR PROVIDED HERE IS FOR GENERAL INFORMATION
PURPOSES ONLY AND IS NOT TO BE CONSTRUED AS REFLECTING THE KNOWLEDGE OR OPINIONS
OF THE PUBLISHER, AND IS NOT TO BE CONSTRUED OR INTENDED AS PROVIDING MEDICAL OR
LEGAL ADVICE. THE DECISION WHETHER OR NOT TO VACCINATE IS AN IMPORTANT AND
COMPLEX ISSUE AND SHOULD BE MADE BY YOU, AND YOU ALONE, IN CONSULTATION WITH
YOUR HEALTH CARE PROVIDER.
