{"id":8156,"date":"2019-07-16T06:55:51","date_gmt":"2019-07-16T06:55:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/simplyhealth.today\/?p=8156"},"modified":"2021-04-20T17:42:38","modified_gmt":"2021-04-20T17:42:38","slug":"14-most-common-symptoms-of-pertussis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/simplyhealth.today\/14-most-common-symptoms-of-pertussis\/","title":{"rendered":"14 Most Common Symptoms of Pertussis"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Pertussis is also more commonly known as whooping cough, and it still affects a handful of people across the world every year. Even though most people receive their vaccinations against whooping cough when they\u2019re children. Even if you have been vaccinated against pertussis, you can still contract the condition if you come into contact with someone who has it \u2013 especially if your immune system is compromised when it happens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you pick up whooping cough, medical attention at the right time is vital. If you don\u2019t see your doctor have the condition treated, it\u2019s likely that you could infect someone else around you with the condition, and this can lead to an outbreak in a matter of hours as the disease jumps from person to person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are 8 most common symptoms of whooping cough that can help if you think you might have come into contact with the condition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. A Whooping Cough<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The condition that we know today as whooping cough derives its name from one of the most characteristic symptoms associated with the condition. If you have contracted whooping cough<\/a>, constant coughing isn\u2019t the only symptom that you\u2019ll experience \u2013 you\u2019ll also note a wheezing sound when breathing in (or out) after coughing, and this usually isn\u2019t characteristic of any other conditions that cause coughing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The wheeze that goes together with pertussis is often how doctors preliminarily diagnose whooping cough, and it\u2019s usually treated with the addition of cough-suppressing medications and antibiotics to treat both the infection and the cough as well as the other symptoms associated with whooping cough (which likely includes fever, vomiting, and fatigue). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019ve developed whooping cough, step one is an appointment with your doctor in order to establish the root cause and treat the condition properly. Never avoid seeing your doctor with a condition like whooping cough: It can be highly contagious.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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2. Vomiting<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Vomiting <\/a>is a symptom that can go together with a thousand different medical conditions from irritable bowel syndrome through to food allergies, and experiencing chronic vomiting (or a particularly long-lasting episode of it) isn\u2019t a conclusive way of diagnosis by any means \u2013 but if you experience vomiting together with a persistent cough, it could be a sign that you\u2019ve contracted whooping cough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It can be a highly dangerous symptom due to the fact that vomiting dehydrates the body and increases your risk of developing ruptures in your veins or hernias elsewhere in the body.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over-the-counter medication or more natural options like ginger are excellent ways to suppress nausea but see your doctor if it continues even after this. Remember to continue hydrating with water or juice for as long as the vomiting episodes continue, and increase your fluid intake above what you\u2019d normally consume to make up for the amounts of fluid you\u2019ve lost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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3. Fever<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A fever <\/a>is the body\u2019s natural reaction to infection or illness, and it\u2019s an attempt to raise the body temperature up to the point where it\u2019s no longer an ideal habitat for infection. Even though it\u2019s useful, a fever can also be just as dangerous at the same time, and it can increase your risk of having a heart attack or stroke \u2013 and a high-grade fever for too long puts your body under a huge amount of strain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s usually one of the first signs that you\u2019re sick, and even when it might not point towards whooping cough, it can point towards another infection in the body. Take note of the symptoms that you\u2019ve been experiencing and make an appointment with your doctor to establish the cause and proper treatment from there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are many great ways to complement your doctor\u2019s prescribed treatment, too: Natural immune-boosting drinks can also sometimes help to reduce a fever \u2013 and willow-bark tea contains natural fever-breaking compounds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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4. Fatigue<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Fatigue <\/a>is a symptom that can sometimes have a very sudden onset, or it can be a symptom that sticks around for days, weeks, months or years before people think to get it checked out by a medical professional. If you experience fatigue together with a wheezing cough and any of the other symptoms on this list (whether it\u2019s one or several), then it could point to a bout of whooping cough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019ve been recently exposed to any whooping cough infections (particularly in hospital settings, or areas where you came into direct contact with children), it\u2019s likely that you might have whooping cough. Make an appointment with your doctor in order to establish the root cause of your symptoms \u2013 and treat fatigue by getting enough rest and adapting your diet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If fatigue still continues as a symptom after the whooping cough infection has disappeared, make an appointment with your doctor again to re-examine the cause.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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5. Insomnia<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Insomnia <\/a>isn\u2019t one of the first symptoms that anyone thinks about when diagnosing a condition like whooping cough, but it\u2019s certainly a symptom that you\u2019re going to experience with a pertussis infection. The persistent bouts of coughing that go together with a pertussis infection can continue for days, and it can keep you awake for hours; eventually, insomnia can lead to a host of other symptoms that can stand in the way of recovery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes insomnia can even mean that you take longer to heal, because the body does most of its healing while asleep, and being awake for too long can deprive your body of essential nutrients and energy that is needed to heal from the infection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you experience insomnia together with the symptoms on this list, try some natural treatments for insomnia such as a warm bath or herbal tea, and see your doctor if the symptom still continues after this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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6. Flulike Symptoms<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Flu <\/a>is one of the most common types of infection out there, and there are a few different strains of flu going around every year; when your immune system isn\u2019t functioning at its optimal capacity, you\u2019re more likely to pick up the flu that\u2019s going around this time. Because of this, people often ignore flu-like symptoms or just treat the flu symptoms themselves in the hopes that it might go away by itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are also a thousand other medical conditions which can lead to flu-like symptoms which don\u2019t include colds or flu: If you experience a persistent cough together with some of the symptoms of flu, then you should get yourself tested for whooping cough \u2013 especially if you have been in recent contact with children or immunity-compromised individuals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you experience flu-like symptoms that last for longer than the average cold, see your doctor find the right cause.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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7. Discoloration<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Other than fever, fatigue, and insomnia <\/a>as a result of severe coughing fits, people who have contracted whooping cough will also often start to develop discoloration of the face and extremities. The discoloration happens due to the pressure that\u2019s built up due to coughing constantly, and it can also be a very dangerous symptom as a result \u2013 it increases your blood pressure, and can even increase your risk of vein rupturing, and your risk of having a heart attack or stroke.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is a symptom that you\u2019ll only see in the middle and later stages of the condition, and it doesn\u2019t occur in all cases of whooping cough. Sometimes the persistent coughing might lead to more than just discoloration, and can also often lead to burst blood vessels in the face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

See your doctor if persistent coughing continues or leads to any other symptoms that are mentioned in this article; remember that whooping cough is considered to be highly contagious.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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8. Hernias<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes the symptoms of one condition can lead to developing other symptoms as a result. Constantly coughing because of a condition like whooping cough tends to put the body under vast amounts of physical stress \u2013 and this can lead to developing hernias<\/a>, or tears in the muscle. A hernia can usually be felt like a knob or obstruction from the outside, and it might be painful and tender to the touch, but also isn\u2019t in many other cases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The associated risk of developing a hernia will naturally increase with children and the elderly, and increase even more if the patient has any kind of conditions related to connective tissue, such as Marfan Syndrome or Ehlers-Danlos (EDS). Surgery is usually the best course of action in order to treat a hernia; while relaxation exercises can do a lot for taking away from the associated pain, it\u2019s not going to fix the hernia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\r\n

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