Complications of pertussis / 中国当代儿科杂志

ABSTRACT

Patients with pertussis can have a variety of complications, including pneumonia and subconjunctival hemorrhage. Severe complications, such as pulmonary hypertension and encephalopathy, can be life-threatening. Younger children with pertussis may lack the characteristic clinical manifestations of pertussis, and therefore, a deeper understanding of the complications of pertussis may help to improve the diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of pertussis. However, there is still no standard for the diagnosis and treatment of pertussis complications, and there are great differences in diagnostic name, basis, and data used in different reports. This article reviews the complications of pertussis which have been reported so far, such as pulmonary complications (pneumonia, pulmonary hypertension, pneumothorax, and mediastinal or subcutaneous emphysema), fractures, hernias, circulatory system complications, nervous system complications (convulsion, encephalopathy, hemorrhage, and hematoma), urinary system complications, and secondary infections, so as to provide a reference for the clinical diagnosis and treatment of pertussis complications, scientific research on pertussis complications, and the promotion of standardized diagnosis and treatment of pertussis complications.