Severe pertussis in infants: a scoping review.

BACKGROUND

Pertussis (Whooping Cough) is a respiratory infection caused by Bordetella pertussis. Pertussis usually occurs in childhood; severe infections are most common in infants. It can be fatal with severe complications such as pulmonary hypertension, heart failure, and encephalitis.

OBJECTIVES

We sought to synthesize the existing literature on severe pertussis in infants and inform further study.

METHODS

A scoping review was performed based on the methodological framework developed by Arksey & O'Malley. Search in Pubmed and Embase databases, with no restrictions on the language and date of publication.

RESULTS

Of the 1299 articles retrieved, 64 were finally included. The selected articles were published between 1979 and 2022, with 90.6% (58/64) of the studies in the last two decades. The studies covered epidemiology, pathology, clinical characteristics, risk factors, treatments, and burden of disease.

CONCLUSION

The literature reviewed suggests that studies on severe pertussis in infants covered a variety of clinical concerns. However, these studies were observational, and experimental studies are needed to provide high-quality evidence.