Strep throat means a common bacterial infection which makes your throat scratchy and sore. This infection narrates to only a small area of the throat. If you don’t treat this ailment on time, this could cause severe complications like rheumatic fever and kidney inflammation. These complications can cause inflamed joints, rashes, and pain. This issue is the most popular in small children but usually affects individuals of all age groups. If you or someone else is facing such symptoms, we recommend you immediately consult with your family doctor and get adequate medications and testing. Here, we will inform you about some common strep throat symptoms you should observe.
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Common Symptoms
Now that you know what is strep throat, it’s time for you to learn about its unknown symptoms. The intensity of strep throat varies from one individual to another. Many individuals face low symptoms like a sore throat. Other individuals might get a fever and can have difficulty in swallowing. Some of the most common strep throat symptoms are
- Sudden agitation and chills.
- Trouble swallowing.
- Severe headache and swollen lymph nodes.
- You observe the loss of appetite and nausea.
These symptoms last from about two to five days after coming in contact with the strep bacteria. Some strains of this infection can also lead to red rashes on the chest and neck, and then it can spread over the whole body. This germ can also cause severe ear infections and sinus.
Strep throat vs Sore Throat
In the midst of analyzing strep throat vs sore throat, it is necessary to know what these two conditions are and how they differ.
What Is Strep throat?
A strep throat or a streptococcal infection is not a common type of disease caused by the bacteria. It requires to be treated with antibiotics to prevent complications. This throat quickly responds to antibiotics and infects mainly the tonsils and the throat.
What is Sore Throat?
A sore throat is a scratchiness and irritation in the throat that becomes worse when you swallow something. The most common and popular form of a sore throat is a viral infection like the flu or cold. This can be very painful, but it does not respond to antibiotics.
Possible Causes
Just like various other infections and ailments, strep throat grows through close contact with individuals. When people sneeze and are sick, they release droplets into the air that holds the disease, causing bacteria. You can easily infect yourself if you touch something that has the infected droplets of the patient. If you do that, you can fall sick easily. A sore throat is often a cause of viral infections like flu and cold, and it may further develop into tonsillitis. Strep throat is contagious, so we recommend you not to share your items with other individuals else they might fall sick.
How Long Does it Last?
After getting infected, it usually takes about two to five days to fall sick. Without antibiotic treatment, strep throat can last up to ten to twelve days, which is approximately two weeks. The infection will get better within a few days after antibiotic treatment has started. If you start the medicine as soon as you know about the ailment, it can help you prevent serious complications like rheumatic fever.
Treatments for Strep Throat?
Strep throat, which is mainly caused by bacteria, is a type of ailment that can be treated. Although, It isn’t handled exactly as sore throats. For treating it first thing you need to do is get a rapid strep test, and if the test comes out to be positive, then we recommend you to take antibiotics to kill the disease-causing bacteria.
You can also get better by consuming over-the-counter (OTC) medications and trying home remedies to ease the symptoms. Take the medicine timely as suggested by your doctor. Try to stay at home as much as possible. Gargling with salt water is one of the best home remedies that can help you mitigate throat pain. You can opt for tablets to keep your throat moist. Try to sip on some hot beverages like coffee or tea to keep your throat clear.
When To See A Physician?
Strep throat is caused by a bacterial infection and can get better on its own in two to ten days. Call your physician immediately if you observe-
- Sore joints and pain in the ears.
- High fever of about 101 degrees.
- Blood in your saliva.
- If you face trouble swallowing whenever you eat anything.
- If you notice problems and pain in breathing.
Diagnosis of a Sore Throat
During your visit, the physician will ask you specific questions about the symptoms you have faced. He will then use a light to check the back of your throat to see the white and red spots. Height also chooses to see the sides of your throat to assess the swollen area. If the doctor says that you have strep throat, then he will run a swab over the back of the throat and collect a sample of the bacteria for some tests.
He will generate a rapid strep test that will give him the results within a few minutes. For the confirmation of the diagnosis, the sample that was taken by the doctor would be sent to the lab for testing purposes. Note that a lab test takes one to two days. Sometimes, it is possible that you will need more tests to figure out entirely that you have a sore throat.
Prevention
You can prevent this ailment by washing your hands and avoiding sharing your utensils and other personal items. Remember to drink an ample amount of water and gargle with salt water. You can take pain relief medicines like Paracetamol and Ibuprofen.
Giving aspirin to young children is strictly wrong as it can cause some rare ailments which are severely harmful.
Takeaway
Various factors can increase your risks and complications of a strep throat infection. Strep throat symptoms occur mostly in young children. Although strep throat can occur anytime, it generally spreads during winters and early spring season. Strep bacteria flourish wherever groups of people are in close contact.
