Health Tip: Whooping Cough Can Lead to Complications

(HealthDay News) — Pertussis, more commonly called whooping cough, is a bacterial infection that can be life-threatening in some babies and children who develop complications.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says potential complications of whopping cough among youngsters include:

  • The lung infection pneumonia.
  • Episodes of convulsions.
  • Episodes of apnea, in which breathing slows or temporarily stops.
  • The brain disease encephalopathy.
  • Death.