Question

___ typically presents around age 4-12 weeks. Characteristic features include a staccato cough (a series of short, dry coughs), rails on physical examination, and hyperinflation on chest x-ray.

Treatment of the above consists of a 14 day course of ___ .

Answer 1

Pertussis, or whooping cough, is characterized by a staccato cough and hyperinflation on chest x-ray, mostly affecting infants and children around 4-12 weeks old. It involves severe coughing spells, particularly in the paroxysmal stage and is treated with a 14-day course of antibiotics.

Step-by-step explanation:

The disease that typically presents around age 4-12 weeks with symptoms including a staccato cough, rails on physical examination, and hyperinflation on chest x-ray is pertussis, commonly known as whooping cough. The causative agent of this highly communicable disease is Bordetella pertussis, a gram-negative coccobacillus. Whooping cough is marked by severe symptoms in infants and children, caused by mucus accumulation in the lungs and leading to severe coughing spells.

One of the serious stages of pertussis is the paroxysmal stage, characterized by severe and prolonged coughing spells. Following this, is the convalescence stage, where a chronic cough can continue for months, often referred to as the 100-day cough. The recommended treatment for whooping cough is a 14-day course of antibiotics.