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Whooping cough in a recognizable form evolves over a period of 2 weeks. It usually starts as a sore throat with a mild feeling of tiredness and being unwell, that within 2 or 3 days turns into a (usually) dry, intermittent "ordinary" cough. This persists, but may wax and wane over the next 7 to 10 days by which time the cough may become a little productive of small amounts of sticky clear phlegm, and occasional intense bouts of choking coughing start to occur.

Fever is usually limited to the first week and is only mild. There may be a runny nose like a cold in the early stages. After the first 2 weeks, the characteristics described below are predominant.  

Major Symptoms (usually from 2 weeks onwards).  Attacks of a choking cough that lasts from 1 to 2 minutes, often with vomiting, severe facial congestions and a feeling or appearance of suffocation.  Between these attacks of coughing the sufferer appears and usually feels perfectly well. These choking attacks of coughing happen as little as twice a day or as many as fifty. Between attacks ('paroxysms' is the technical name) the sufferer may not cough at all. 'Whooping' is a noise that comes from the voice box after a paroxysm when the sufferer is suddenly able to take a breath in again.

Whooping cough is also notable for producing very thick, sticky, clear and difficult to shift phlegm. It is sometimes stringy. It is also common to produce lots of saliva after a coughing fit.

The one characteristic of whooping cough that make it different is the LONG INTERVALS OF NO COUGHING (often hours) between paroxysms of coughing.

Only about 50% of whooping cough sufferers 'whoop' but this is where the name comes from. Sometimes the patient stops breathing after a severe bout of coughing, long enough to go blue. Occasionally the patient faints as well. Recovery is usually rapid however, and back to normal within a couple of minutes

Whooping cough lasts at least 3 weeks and can frequently go on for 3 months or even longer. I am told that in China it is called the 100 day cough. Interestingly, it is now frequently referred to in the West as the "100 day cough".

Late symptoms. Whooping cough resolves by a slow reduction in the number of choking attacks. From the time the attacks start to reduce in number, to the time they finish, it may be roughly from 2 weeks to 2 months or more. The average case of whooping cough lasts about 7 weeks. But for people with whooping cough visiting this site, it is likely to last longer, because only more severe cases are likely to get here.

The crucial point for clinical diagnosis is attacks of severe choking cough separated by long intervals of NO COUGHING AT ALL. There is immense variation in severity and duration of the illness.MOST CASES GO UNDIAGNOSED BECAUSE THE PHYSICIAN NEVER HEARS THE PATIENT COUGH AND CANNOT BELIEVE IT IS AS SEVERE AS HE/SHE IS BEING TOLD. AND LISTENING WITH A STETHOSCOPE INDICATES NORMAL LUNGS IN WHOOPING COUGH!

If whooping cough seems to come back again just when you seem to be getting over it, it usually means you have just caught a viral cough/cold. I brings the whooping cough symptoms back temporarily. You are not infectious for whooping cough in these circumstances.

Therefore I recommend you record or video a severe coughing attack and show your doctor along with my printout for doctors. Many mobile phones have this facility

If you have been helped and wish to make a donation, please follow this link

Quick self-diagnosis test questions

More detail on early symptoms

A graphic account of one mother's experience of trying to get it diagnosed

Details of clinical diagnosis (taken from my thesis)

Below are sound file pages

Sound of a child with whooping cough WITH whooping

Sound of a child with whooping cough WITHOUT whooping

CLASSICAL whooping cough with lots of whooping

Male with whooping cough making loud whooping sound

View videos of 2 year old and 6 year old children with whooping cough