Clinical features of pertussis in adults

Aim. To study the clinical features of pertussis in adults. Subjects and methods. The clinical manifestations of pertussis in adults were analyzed in 62 patients treated in the Core Unit and Obstetric Unit, Clinical Infectious Diseases Hospital One, Moscow Healthcare Department, in 2011-2013. Results. Investigations conducted in the familial foci of pertussis showed that its incidence rate was 23.7 and 10% in adults and in pediatric institutions, respectively. The source of infant infection was adults in almost one third of cases, mothers in 72% and fathers in 27.7%. Assessment of the symptom complex of pertussis in the sick mothers in the observed period ascertained that 94+/-3% had experienced the typical form of whooping cough: 72.0+/-6.7 and 22.0+/-5.3% had its mild and moderate forms, respectively. The disease had run a latent course in 6+/-3% of the patients. The paper describes cases of pertussis in 5 pregnant women admitted to the obstetric unit for complaints of persistent cough. The diagnosis of whooping cough in all the cases was based on clinical and epidemiological findings and serological tests showing specific IgA and IgG antibodies. Three and two patients experienced moderate and mild pertussis, respectively. Conclusion. Pertussis now remains one of the infectious diseases relevant not only to a pediatric population, but also to an adult one. Adult pertussis maintains the main clinical features typical for this infection with a predominance of its mild forms, which makes its diagnosis difficult. A serological test (enzyme immunoassay) is of high diagnostic value for verifying whooping cough in adults under the present conditions.