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Pertussis in infancy and the association with respiratory and cognitive disorders at toddler age

Sabine C de Greeff1, Laura W van Buul, Anneke Westerhof

  • 1Centre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven, The Netherlands. sabine.de.greeff@rivm.nl

Vaccine
|September 13, 2011
PubMed

Insights

Infants hospitalized with pertussis (whooping cough) face increased risks of asthma symptoms and respiratory infections in early childhood. Severe infant pertussis was linked to lower weight-for-height, but not cognitive development.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Pertussis (whooping cough) in unvaccinated infants can lead to severe illness and complications.
  • The long-term health effects of severe infant pertussis on respiratory health, growth, and cognitive development require further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between pertussis hospitalization in infancy and subsequent respiratory symptoms, growth, and cognitive development in early childhood.

Main Methods:

  • A pilot study comparing 89 infants hospitalized with pertussis to 172 controls.
  • Assessed respiratory symptoms, growth (z-scores), and cognitive development (Van Wiechen scores).
  • Calculated risk ratios (RR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) for health outcomes.

Main Results:

  • Infants with a history of pertussis showed increased odds of asthma symptoms (RR 2.8) and respiratory infections (RR 3.3) in toddlerhood.
  • Significantly lower weight-for-height z-scores were observed in children with infant pertussis history up to 40 months.
  • No significant differences in cognitive development were detected between the groups.

Conclusions:

  • Severe pertussis in infancy is associated with an increased risk of respiratory symptoms in early childhood.
  • The underlying mechanisms linking infant pertussis to later respiratory issues warrant further research.
  • While growth may be affected, cognitive development does not appear to be significantly impacted by severe infant pertussis.

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