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By Mayo Clinic staff
Teenagers and adults
Teenagers and adults usually recover from whooping cough with no complications.
If complications occur, at worst, they include coughing that may lead to:
- A bruised or broken rib
- Hernia — an abnormal protrusion of a loop of intestine through a weak area of abdominal muscle
Children
Children with whooping cough also may:
- Injure the muscles of the chest wall
- Develop a hernia
Infants
In infants — especially those under 6 months of age — complications from whooping cough are more severe and may include:
- Ear infections
- Pneumonia
- Slowed or stopped breathing
- Dehydration
- Seizures
- Brain damage
Because infants and toddlers are at greatest risk of complications from whooping cough, they're more likely to need treatment in a hospital. In infants under 6 months of age, complications can be life-threatening.