Possibilities and Limitations of X-Ray Diagnostics in Cases of Whooping Cough

Pertussis was a dreaded disease, especially for the very young, having a high risk of death for infants under the age of less than a year. It is characterized by paroxysms of cough, inspiratory whoop, and posttussive vomiting, with more severe forms leading to apnea in infants. The World Health Organization (WHO) describes pertussis as “an extremely contagious respiratory tract disease caused by Bordetella pertussis,” a microorganism specific to humans. Pertussis affects people of all ages, especially children, and is one of the leading causes of death in infants under one year of age. The incubation period is usually 7 to 10 days, and clinical characteristics are associated with age, duration of infection, immune status, and antibiotic therapy. Chest X-ray imaging plays a significant role in the diagnosis of pertussis, especially in terms of rapid availability and ease of examination. The availability of chest X-ray imaging allows clinicians to quickly make diagnosis and timely initiation of appropriate treatment. One of the main problems with chest X-ray imaging of patients with pertussis is coughing attacks during the procedure, inefficiency in detecting disease in the early stage, exposure of the patient to ionizing radiation, and interpretation errors of the images.