Moore et al studied clinical characteristics of adults with pertussis, The authors are from the University of Oxford, the University of Leeds and the University of Auckland.
Patient selection: adult with acute (< 3 weeks) or subacute (3 to 8 weeks) cough
Outcome: diagnosis of pertussis
Sensitive findings with low specificity (around 20% = high false positive):
(1) paroxysmal cough (sensitivity 93%)
(2) absence of fever (sensitivity 82%)
Specific findings with low sensitivity (around 30% = high false negatives):
(1) post-tussive vomiting (specificity 78%)
(2) whooping (specificity 80%)
A molecular test for pertussis is more expensive but more likely to be accurate.
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