Does Pertussis Infection Increase Risk for Epilepsy?

Pertussis continues to circulate worldwide, and although mortality is low, morbidity is significant. Long-term effects other than complications of encephalopathy have not been well described and are difficult to study. Concerns about pertussis vaccination side effects publicized in the media in the mid-1980s — specifically seizure disorders and encephalopathy — led to a decline in vaccination rates in several parts of the world, including the U.S.

To assess whether infection with pertussis could be a trigger for the development of epilepsy, researchers conducted a population-based cohort study using the Danish National Patient Registry. They identified 4700 children hospitalized with pertussis between 1978 and 2011 and matched each patient b…