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Is pertussis in infants a potential cause of retinal haemorrhages?

Ana Isabel Curcoy1, Victoria Trenchs, Marta Morales

  • 1Emergency Department, Sant Joan de Deu Hospital, passeig Sant Joan de deu 2 08950, Barcelona, Spain. acurcoy@hsjdbcn.org

Archives of Disease in Childhood
|December 21, 2011
PubMed

Insights

Retinal hemorrhages are not caused by pertussis (whooping cough) in infants. This study found no cases of retinal hemorrhages in infants hospitalized with pertussis, suggesting it

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Ophthalmology
  • Infectious Diseases

Background:

  • Retinal hemorrhages in infants can be indicative of abusive head trauma.
  • Differentiating abusive head trauma from other medical conditions is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the prevalence of retinal hemorrhages in infants diagnosed with pertussis.
  • To aid in the differential diagnosis of abusive head trauma in infants.

Main Methods:

  • Prospective study of 35 children aged 15 days to 2 years with pertussis.
  • Ophthalmological examinations conducted within 72 hours of hospital admission.
  • Further investigations to rule out systemic disorders or maltreatment if hemorrhages were detected.

Main Results:

  • No retinal hemorrhages were observed in any of the 35 children with pertussis.
  • The upper limit for the prevalence of retinal hemorrhages due to symptomatic pertussis requiring hospitalization was estimated at 9.9% (95% confidence).

Conclusions:

  • Pertussis infection is unlikely to be a cause of retinal hemorrhages in children under two years of age.
  • This finding helps in excluding pertussis as a cause when evaluating retinal hemorrhages in infants.
Abstract

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