Attitude of Italian physicians toward pertussis diagnosis

Figures & data

Table 1. Description of five clinical scenarios proposed to general practitioners (GPs) and family pediatricians to evaluate the attitude to suspect and diagnose pertussis in the differential diagnosis of prolonged cough

Age	Type of cough	Duration of cough	Vomiting	Immunization against pertussis	Other information
45 d	Coughing spells	2 weeks	Yes	No	Apnea
5 y	Dry cough	4 weeks	No	3 doses in the first year of life	No other signs. Family history of allergic disease
11 y	Dry cough, especially at night	3 weeks	Yes	3 doses in the first year of life and 1 dose at 5 y	History of wheezing
24 y	Coughing spells	3 weeks	Yes	3 doses in the first year of life and 1 dose at 5 y	No
58 y	Dry or catharral cough, often at night	4 weeks	No	None	No

Table 2. Proposed diagnoses and diagnostic tests in the five clinical scenarios

Proposed diagnoses (1 choice)	Acute bronchitis Acute nasopharyngitis Asthmatic bronchitis Bronchiolitis Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease Food allergy Gastroesophageal reflux Laryngotracheitis Lung cancer Pertussis Pneumonia Pulmonary edema Sinusitis Tonsillitis
Diagnostic tests for diagnosis confirmation (3 choices)	Chest X-ray Complete blood count and CRP ECG Laryngoscopy No diagnostic test PCR for pertussis PCR for respiratory viruses on nasopharyngeal aspirate PCR test for Adenovirus on blood specimen Pharyngeal swab pH-metry Serology for pertussis Skin Prick Testing Skull X-ray Total and specific IgE testing

Figure 1. Percentage of physicians suspecting a diagnosis of pertussis by age of the patient of the clinical scenario.