Table 2.
Clinical characteristics of patients in study group
| Pertussisa | Non-pertussisb | Whole group | P c | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (n = 38) | (n = 21) | (n = 59) | ||
| Group I | Group II | (%) | ||
| Male | 16 | 9 | 27 | NS |
| Age | ||||
| <1 | 18 (13) | 10 (3) | 28 | NS |
| 1–12 | 16 | 8 | 26 | NS |
| >12 | 4 | 3 | 8 | NS |
| Pertussis vaccination | 25 | 18 | 42 | 0.018 |
| Immunocompromised | 3 | 2 | 5 | NS |
| Stage of diseased | ||||
| Catarrhal | 17 | 9 | 26 | NS |
| Paroxysmal | 12 | 5 | 17 | NS |
| Convalescent | 3 | 4 | 7 | NS |
| Clinical detailsd | ||||
| Cough | 32 | 18 | 50 | NS |
| Paroxysmal | 26 | 8 | 34 | <0.005 |
| Whoop | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0.045 |
| Vomiting | 16 | 9 | 25 | NS |
| Fever | 5 | 5 | 11 | 0.014 |
| GP | 16 | 12 | 28 | NS |
| Out-patient clinic | 8 | 4 | 12 | NS |
| Hospital admission | 14 | 8 | 22 | NS |
aPatients that meet the clinical definition for suspected pertussis
bPatients that did not meet the clinical definition for suspected pertussis
cStatistical differences between Group I and Group II
dIncomplete clinical details for six cases in the pertussis group and three cases in the non-pertussis group
Numbers in parentheses indicate no pertussis vaccination
No clinical information was available for three cases and these were not assigned to either group