Symptoms Of Whooping Cough

Extreme Fatigue

Whooping cough is known to cause extreme fatigue due to many factors. When the body, whether for babies or for adults, cannot get enough oxygen throughout its system, it is easily tired and worn down. The strain of sickness and continually coughing can also leave a person feeling exhausted. The extreme fatigue also comes from the body's immune reaction being stressed by the need to fight off the infection.

It is important for both adults and children to rest and follow all their doctor's instructions for self-care while they are sick, so they have the best chance of recovery. Many infants and small children will need to be hospitalized for whooping cough so they can have quick access to the right medicine and medical care. Without that, there can be even more severe complications arising from the whooping cough illness.

Red Or Blue Face

Severe coughing fits can cause a child to turn red or blue from lack of oxygen. This usually happens either during or immediately after the coughing noise and may or may not be accompanied by gagging or noises. This is because the blood vessels in the face no longer have enough oxygen and turn blue, or because the body is struggling to get enough blood and oxygen through the body. If this happens frequently, in some cases a doctor may recommend a breathing aid for the child so they can breathe safely and easily even through the whooping cough symptoms.

Like the fatigue, whooping noise, and gagging, a red or blue face is most often seen during the most severe phase of the whooping cough infection which starts about one or two weeks after the initial cold-like symptoms began. This second stage can last for one or two months even with antibiotics, and the recovery phase can take weeks or months.