Protrahierter Verlauf einer Pertussiserkrankung im Erwachsenenalter : Ein Fallbericht (Kommentare)

Pertussis (whooping cough) is not only a childhood disease but can cause persistent coughing in adolescents and adults as well. Nevertheless, pertussis is usually not included in the differential diagnosis of persistent respiratory symptoms in adults. In the case of a 64-year-old patient with prolonged coughing, the correct diagnosis of pertussis was made 21 days after the patient was examined for the first time. The delayed diagnosis made early antibiotic therapy with macrolides impossible and resulted in pneumonia. Vaccination of adults with acellular combination vaccines is the only reasonable way to reduce the considerable burden of disease in adults and children.