Cough, basic science, and the clinician

Bordetella pertussis, an agent not to forget: a case report

Introduction

In the past, pertussis affected particularly children under 6 years of age, but recent trends show that there is a shift toward the older age group. The clinical presentation can be atypical in the adolescent age group, and the disease is often misdiagnosed.

Case presentation

We present a case of an 11-year-old male patient oriented to our unit with anorexia, weight loss and persistent cough with nocturnal paroxysms for 4 weeks. He also reported occasional wheezing and chest tightness. He denied fever, chills, myalgia, sore throat, or rhinorrhea. The patient presented to his primary care physician 1 week prior with the same complaint and was treated with amoxicillin and ebastine. Facing the persistence of the complaints he was oriented to our unit in order to exclude tuberculosis. Further study confirmed Bordetella pertussis infection and he started clarithromycin (15 mg/kg/day for 14 days). The patient's symptoms resolved after two weeks. Two of the patient's family members have developed symptoms of Bordetella pertussis infection and were treated after convenient study.

Conclusion

Cough is one of the most common complaints among children and its causes are multiple. Active immunization and early diagnosis are crucial in the management of pertussis.