Infect Chemother.  2004 Dec;36(6):331-334.

Pertussis as a Differential Diagnosis of Chronic Cough in Adults

• Park WB
• Park SW
• Lee KD
• Lee CS
• Jang HC
• Kim HB
• Oh MD
• Kim EC
• Choe KW

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Pertussis was long considered a childhood illness. However, in the last two decades, it has been reported as a cause of prolonged cough in adolescents and adults in other countries. Infection of Bordetella pertussis was prospectively searched among adults with a persistent cough.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Adult patients, who visited either the outpatient clinic of a municipal hospital or a university health service center due to cough of more than six days' duration without underlying pulmonary disease, from September 2002 to May 2003, were enrolled. The culture and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were used for confirming of B. pertussis infection.
RESULTS
102 adult patients with persistent cough were evaluated. 3 (2.9%) patients were PCR positive for B. pertussis. There were no patients with positive culture. All patients with positive PCR had one or more classic symptoms of pertussis and their cough persisted for 3-7 weeks.
CONCLUSION
We confirmed the morbidity of pertussis in Korean adults with persistent cough. Pertussis should be considered as a differential diagnosis of chronic cough in adults.

Keyword

Bordetella pertussis; Adult; Cough; Polymerase chain reaction

MeSH Terms

Adolescent
Adult*
Ambulatory Care Facilities
Bordetella pertussis
Cough*
Diagnosis, Differential*
Hospitals, Municipal
Humans
Lung Diseases
Polymerase Chain Reaction
Prospective Studies
Student Health Services
Whooping Cough*