Analysis of the Prevalence and Clinical Characteristics of Pertussis in Children with Different Cough Durations

Objective To investigate the prevalence and clinical characteristics of pertussis in children with different cough durations.Methods From January 2021 to October 2022, children aged 0~18 years who visited 8 hospitals in Shandong Province due to cough were enrolled. All participants completed pertussis serological antibody testing and/or nucleic acid testing, and the prevalence and clinical characteristics of pertussis in children with different cough durations were analyzed.Results A total of 1,565 children with cough were included in the study, among whom 348 cases (22.24%) were laboratory-confirmed pertussis. The confirmation rate of pertussis in the protracted acute cough group (42.21%) was significantly higher than that in the acute cough group (16.49%) and chronic cough group (19.50%) (P<0.01). In each cough group, the confirmation rate of children aged 3 months to <2 years was significantly higher than that of other age groups; unvaccinated children were most likely to be diagnosed with pertussis; among the laboratory-confirmed pertussis cases, the incidence of typical symptoms such as paroxysmal cough, whoop, and post-tussive emesis or sleep disturbance was significantly higher than that in the non-pertussis cases.Conclusions There are differences in the confirmation rate of pertussis among children with different cough durations, and the confirmation rate is significantly associated with age, vaccination status, and clinical symptoms. Enhancing clinical vigilance against pertussis, conducting early diagnosis, and standardized vaccination are crucial for effectively controlling pertussis and preventing outbreak of pertussis.