Symptoms of Whooping Cough

Symptoms usually begin 1 to 2 weeks (at most, three weeks) after exposure to the bacterium. Initial symptoms last about 7 to 14 days. They include:

• Runny nose and congestion
• Sneezing
• Watery, red eyes
• Mild fever
• Dry cough, which marks the onset of the second stage:
  • The cough becomes progressively worse over days to weeks (usually lasting 2-6 weeks).
  • Prolonged coughing spells come on suddenly and frequently end with a forceful inhale or whoop.
  • The whoop is not often heard in young infants. They may gasp for breath or gag.
  • In severe cases, coughing may cause a person to have trouble breathing or turn blue from lack of oxygen.
  • Vomiting as a result of coughing is common.

Complications may include:

• Seizures
• Periods of apnea (no breathing)-more common in infants
• Pneumonia
• Collapsed lungs (rare)
• Abdominal and inguinal hernias
• Bleeding, swelling, and/or inflammation of the brain, possibly causing neurologic damage
• Death (rare)-occurs more commonly in infants; mortality is 1% to 2% before age one year.

The final stage is marked by slowly decreasing duration and severity of coughing spells. The average duration of illness is about six weeks, with a range or 3 weeks to 3 months. Fits of coughing may recur for months. In the majority of cases, patients recover fully.