How Do I Know If My Child Has Strep Throat
Visit your healthcare provider if the symptoms suggest strep throat. Your child will be examined and may be given a strep test . Viral illnesses can have the same symptoms as strep throat. This is why its important that a throat swab be done to confirm the presence of the Strep bacteria in the throat.
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What Is A Sore Throat And What Are The Symptoms
A sore throat is discomfort, pain or scratchiness in the throat. Like colds, the vast majority of sore throats are caused by viral infections. Therefore, most sore throats will not respond to antibiotics. Many people experience a mild sore throat at the beginning of a cold. When the nose or sinuses become irritated, nasal drainage can run down the back of the throat and aggravate it, especially at night, causing pain or discomfort in the throat.
What Are The Risks Of Taking Antibiotics For Sore Throat
Antibiotics may cause side effects, such as diarrhea, vomiting, and skin rashes.
Besides side effects, there are other good reasons not to use antibiotics unless you really need them.
- Antibiotics cost money.
- You will probably have to see the doctor to get a prescription. This costs you time.
- If you take antibiotics when you don’t need them, they may not work when you do need them. Each time you take antibiotics, you are more likely to carry some bacteria that were not killed by the medicine. Over time, these bacteria get tougher and can cause longer and more serious infections. To treat them, you may need different, stronger, and more costly antibiotics.
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How Well Do Antibiotics Work To Treat A Sore Throat
Antibiotics dont work at all for a sore throat caused by a virus. These kinds of sore throats usually go away on their own in 4 to 5 days.
If you have strep throatwhich is caused by bacteriayour doctor may prescribe an antibiotic, such as penicillin. But strep throat goes away on its own in 3 to 7 days with or without antibiotics.
Antibiotics may not make you well faster. But they may shorten the time you are able to spread strep throat to others by a day or so.
Antibiotics may also lower the risk of a bacterial infection spreading to other parts of your body, such as your ears and sinuses. They can also prevent serious but rare problems such as rheumatic fever in children.
Antibiotics may cause side effects, such as diarrhea, vomiting, and skin rashes.
Besides side effects, there are other good reasons not to use antibiotics unless you really need them.
- Antibiotics cost money.
- You will probably have to see the doctor to get a prescription. This costs you time.
- If you take antibiotics when you dont need them, they may not work when you do need them. Each time you take antibiotics, you are more likely to carry some bacteria that were not killed by the medicine. Over time, these bacteria get tougher and can cause longer and more serious infections. To treat them, you may need different, stronger, and more costly antibiotics.
Antibiotics Over The Counter Results Before And After:
Antibiotics are designed to produce immediate results. Right from the first dose, they start acting against the bacterial infection. It will take three to five days to produce complete results. When you complete the entire course of antibiotics, it will give you protection against relapses. How to get antibiotics over the counter that are safe and effective?
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What Are The Best Ones
The go-to antibiotics for strep throat are penicillin and amoxicillin.
People who are allergic to penicillins may be prescribed a non-penicillin antibiotic, usually one of:
-
A cephalosporin
-
Azithromycin
-
Clarithromycin
Your doctor will select the right one for you. Always check with your doctor and take the full course of prescription antibiotics as recommended.
When Should I Get An At
There are no universal guidelines for when to use at-home strep testing. But if you have sore throat symptoms coupled with fever and swollen lymph nodes, those symptoms could indicate a Strep A bacterial throat infection. If you are asymptomatic but have been in close contact with someone who has strep throat, you might want to take an at-home strep test to see if you are a carrier to avoid spreading the illness. Theres no harm in home testing if you have a sore throat.
Strep A is most common in children and adolescents between the ages of 5 and 15. For this reason, doctors are more likely to test for strep throat in people of these ages if they have symptoms like a sudden sore throat, a fever, enlarged lymph nodes, or a rash.
However, a strep A test is not always done in people with a sore throat. In many cases, sore throat is caused by a viral infection. Viral infections often trigger additional symptoms like a runny nose or coughing. As a result, doctors may reserve strep A testing for situations when sore throat occurs without other symptoms of a viral infection.
Routine strep A testing is not usually used in adults or in children under three years old. In these groups, it is rare for strep throat to cause complications, so it is less important to detect a strep A infection early. However, a doctor is in the best position to assess the appropriateness of strep testing.
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What Is Rheumatic Fever
Rheumatic fever can develop following a Strep throat infection or scarlet fever. Although rare in the contiguous U.S., the disease is still prevalent in children of Samoan descent living in Hawaii and residents of American Samoa.
Symptoms of rheumatic fever usually show 14 to 28 days after a Strep infection. Because the bacteria trick the body’s immune system into attacking healthy tissues, the disease can affect the heart, joints, skin, and brain.
Symptoms of rheumatic fever include:
- Fever
How Reliable Are Home Strep Tests
Rapid strep tests arent 100 percent accurate. According to a 2016 review, they correctly identify strep throat in 86 percent of people who have it. Based on these results, the test would return a negative result for 14% of those who have strep throat. This is known as a false negative result.
Its also important to use strep tests correctly for the most accurate results. Doctors and nurses go through training to learn how to effectively collect throat swabs. But for someone without any medical training, it can be hard to do initially.
Still, a 2017 study found that, under supervision of clinic staff, 71 out of 76 parents were able to successfully obtain a throat swab sample from their child after watching a short instructional video.
If your child gets sore throats often, considering asking a doctor to show you how to properly collect a throat swab on your own.
But home tests still carry the same risk of producing a false negative. Doctors can combat this by doing a throat swab culture. This involves taking collecting another throat swab and sending it off to a lab.
If you have strep throat, the lab will be able to grow GAS bacteria from your sample. This test isnt available for home use, and the results take a few days to come in.
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Treating Strep Throat With Z
If your doctor thinks azithromycin is a good choice for you, they may prescribe a generic version of azithromycin or a Z-Pack.
Each Z-Pack contains six 250-milligram tablets of Zithromax. You would take two tablets on the first day, followed by one tablet daily for four days.
A Z-Pack typically takes at least five days to fully work, but it can start to relieve your sore throat and other symptoms on the first day you take it. If your doctor prescribes a generic version of azithromycin, your treatment may only last three days.
Be sure to take your Z-Pack or generic azithromycin exactly as your doctor prescribes. This is true even if you feel better before youve taken the full course of treatment.
If you stop taking an antibiotic early, it could make the infection come back or make future infections more difficult to treat.
Treating Strep Throat With Antibiotics
Oral antibiotics are the most common and effective treatment for strep throat.
These can work to slightly reduce the duration and severity of symptoms, prevent complications, and limit the spread of infection to others.
Sore throat may persist for up to a week even with antibiotic treatment, but antibiotics decrease the duration of symptoms by about one day, and should prevent symptoms from worsening within 2-3 days.
You should never be given antibiotics without a positive diagnosis of strep via testing or evaluation by a licensed healthcare provider.
If your strep test is negative, your symptoms are likely caused by a virus and antibiotics will not help and instead may be harmful.
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Causes Of Sore Throat
Both viruses and bacteria can cause a sore throat. Strep throat is a bacterial infection that is caused by a family of bacteria called group A Streptococcus . It is more common in children, but people of all ages can get strep throat. However, strep throat is responsible for only a small number of sore throats. Viruses are the more common cause of sore throats.
How Do People Get Strep Throat
Students tend to get strep throat most often during the school year, with peaks in winter and early spring, when big groups of people are close together.
The bacteria that cause strep throat tend to hang out in the nose and throat, so sneezing, coughing, or shaking hands can easily spread the strep infection from one person to another. That’s why it’s so important to wash your hands as often as possible.
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How Is Strep Throat Treated
Strep throat is treated using antibiotics. An antibiotic is a type of medicine that kills the bacteria that cause the infection.
Antibiotics are often taken as pills or given as a shot. Penicillin and amoxicillin are common antibiotics used to treat strep throat. Other antibiotics are ordered for people who are allergic to penicillin.
Your healthcare provider may give your child a shot or prescribe an antibiotic in either pill or liquid form. The pills or liquid are usually taken for 10 days. Follow your healthcare providers instructions. Your child should take all of the medication, even if he or she feels better. The bacteria can still be alive even if your child feels okay.
Do I Need Antibiotics
If you have or are likely to have strep, your doctor will treat you to help you get better sooner, stop you from transmitting strep to others, and also to prevent the rare occurrence of strep infection developing into complicationsâlike rheumatic fever, and heart, kidney, and nervous system disorders. Fortunately, those side effects are rare.
Even if you are starting to feel better from a sore throat that was caused by strep, you still need treatment to prevent these possible complications.
Your doctor will assess the risk that your sore throat is caused by strep, and decide if the chance is high and immediate treatment is warranted, or if you need testing to see if it is strep, or if it’s unlikely to be strep.
The main factors that make it more likely that a sore throat is caused by strep include: History of recent exposure to someone who tested positive for strep, fever more than 100.4 degrees F, tender swollen lymph nodes in the neck, and white exudate or spots on the throat or tonsils. If you have at least 2 of these risk factors, your doctor may decide to go ahead and treat you without doing a test, or before any test results are back.
One caveat is that if you have symptoms that suggest a viral infection â such as cough, runny nose, congestion, conjunctivitis, or sores in your mouth, then it is unlikely that your sore throat is caused by strep.
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Symptoms Of Strep Throat
The most common symptoms of strep throat include:
- Sore throat that can start very quickly
- Pain when swallowing
- Red and swollen tonsils, sometimes with white patches or streaks of pus
- Tiny red spots on the roof of the mouth
- Swollen lymph nodes in the front of the neck
Sometimes someone with strep throat also has a rash known as scarlet fever .
Are Antibiotics Necessary For Strep Throat
If your sore throat is from strep throat, taking antibiotics can help because this is a bacterial infection. However, you dont always have to take antibiotics for strep throat. Doctors say antibiotics should be reserved for a severe sore throat caused by bacteria.
The reason is that exposure to too many antibiotics can lead to something called antibiotic resistance. This refers to a situation where bacteria and other microorganisms develop the ability to defeat the antibiotics that were developed to kill them. These germs are called superbugs and they cannot be killed by commonly available drugs.
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How To Feel Better
Some ways you can feel better when you have a sore throat:
- Suck on ice chips, popsicles, or lozenges .
- Use a clean humidifier or cool mist vaporizer.
- Gargle with salt water.
- Drink warm beverages and plenty of fluids.
- Use honey to relieve cough for adults and children at least 1 year of age or older.
- Ask your doctor or pharmacist about over-the-counter medicines that can help you feel better. Always use over-the-counter medicines as directed.
Can Having A Sore Throat While Pregnant Hurt The Baby
Its common for women to catch colds and experience a sore throat during their pregnancy. This shouldnt harm your baby, but it can make you feel run down and tired, make sure that you are getting as much sleep as you can and are eating a healthy diet. If you are concerned talk to your Pharmacist, midwife or GP.
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What Are The Most Common Strep Throat Symptoms
The telltale signs of strep throat are you guessed it a very sore throat that is most often paired with a fever. In general, people with strep dont exhibit generic cold symptoms like coughs, runny noses, nasal congestion, or sneezing, says Moore. If you are experiencing these types of symptoms with the absence of a fever, chances are you have a viral infection, and you dont need to be tested for strep.
While throat pain and fever are the most common and notable symptoms of strep throat, other signs of this bacterial infection may include:
- Body aches
- Nausea or vomiting
- Rash
How Do You Use A Home Strep Test
Home strep tests are pretty similar to the rapid strep test used by doctors. They come with a sterile cotton swab, which youll gently brush against the back of your throat for a second or two.
These tests typically come with two substances called reagents. Youll mix these together and add the cotton swap. After letting everything sit for a few minutes, youll insert a small stick, which comes with the test.
Depending on the product youre using, a line or series of lines will appear on the stick. These are your test results.
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Talk With Your Doctor
If you have strep throat, your doctor will prescribe the antibiotic they think is most appropriate for you. In most cases, this would be penicillin or amoxicillin. However, some people are prescribed a Z-Pack or generic azithromycin.
If you have further questions about either medication, be sure to ask your doctor. Your questions might include:
- Is this the best drug to treat my strep throat?
- Am I allergic to penicillin or amoxicillin? If so, are there any other drugs I should avoid?
- What should I do if my throat still hurts after I finish my medication?
- What can I do to relieve my sore throat while I wait for the antibiotic to work?
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How Do You Know You Have Strep Throat
So far, we have answered the following questions- what is strep throat, is strep throat contagious, what is incubation period and the like.
Now, let us explore the various symptoms of strep throat. It is always beneficial to start early treatment.
Before we look at the symptoms, it is important to note that the incubation period for strep throat is between one and five days after exposure to the bacteria causing infection.
Common symptoms of strep throat are:
- A sore throat is one of the most common and earliest signs of a strep throat
- Fever is also a common symptom
- Whitish or yellow pus areas on the tonsils and throat
- You may also experience a mild headache if a strep throat infection is beginning to develop
- Some people even experience muscle pain, and body aches as strep throat symptoms
- In some cases, nausea and vomiting are also symptoms
- A runny nose, constant sneezing, and coughing are also signs that an infection in the throat may be beginning to develop
When another family member or co-worker has been diagnosed with strep throat, and you develop a sore throat or fever, these could be early symptoms of the same infection.
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