Q What Are Complications Related To Strep
A. Most cases of strep throat resolve without complications. However, complications can include blood stream bacterial infections, abscesses in the tissue surrounding the throat, ear infections and sinus infections. Other complications following the initial strep throat infection include acute rheumatic fever, kidney issues and psychiatric disorders.
Seek Medical Attention Always
Strep throat left untreated can result in life-threatening conditions. You should always seek out medical attention if you believe you have strep throat. A few days of taking antibiotics is far better than the alternative: suffering for weeks on end or your condition becoming life-threatening.
If you live in the Baton Rouge area of Louisiana, Coastal Urgent Care has a wide range of medical services to help you. Urgent Care is open seven days a week from 9 am to 8 pm.
Contact us today to make your appointment.
How Can I Prevent Strep Throat Spreading
Do the following to help stop infections spreading or coming back:
- Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you sneeze or cough.
- Avoid close physical contact such as kissing when you are sick, and dont share eating or drinking utensils .
- Try to create space between your children when they sleep, to limit the chance of germs being spread through coughs and sneezes.
You May Like: Is There An Over The Counter Antibiotic Eye Drop
Children With Group A Streptococcal Infection
If your child develops group A streptococcal infection, including scarlet fever or impetigo:
- keep them away from childrens settings such childcare centres or school until your child has received at least 24 hours of antibiotic treatment and they feel well
- ensure your child completes the entire course of antibiotics
- if your child has impetigo, the child can return to school after commencing antibiotic treatment. Make sure all exposed sores are covered with a watertight dressing.
How Long Will The Effects Of Strep Throat Last
The symptoms of strep throat may go away as soon as 24 hours after you start treatment. The symptoms rarely last longer than five days.
Not getting treatment for strep throat or not taking all the medicine prescribed can lead to rheumatic fever. Rheumatic fever can damage the heart valves and affect your joints, kidneys and brain.
Don’t Miss: How To Cure Uti Without Antibiotic
How Long Do Sore Throats Caused By Bacterial Infections Last
Bacterial infections cause sore throats less often than viruses. When they do occur, your doctor may prescribe antibiotics, such as penicillin or amoxicillin. Antibiotics can shorten the duration of a sore throat quickly. They may help reduce pain and inflammation within one to two days.
When not taking antibiotics, bacterial infections and the sore throats they cause may last anywhere from a week to 10 days.
Sore throats caused by bacteria can sometimes be associated with a more serious illness. For example, sore throats caused by a bacteria called Fusobacterium can result in a complication called Lemierres syndrome. Sore throats caused by this condition may resolve within four to five days, but can then reoccur, along with other more serious symptoms.
What Is The Best Antibiotic For Throat Infection
Answer itbacterialstreptococcal
Also to know is, what antibiotics work for strep throat?
Penicillinamoxicillinpenicillincephalexinerythromycinazithromycin
What types of antibiotics are used to treat strep throat?
Stopping midway also increases the chances of promoting bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics.
- Penicillin.
Here are seven quick sore throat remedies that you can whip up in no time, so that you’ll start feeling better as soon as possible.
- Gargle With Warm Salt Water.
- Non-Steroid Anti-Inflammatory Drugs.
- Try Cooling Throat Sprays Or Cough Syrup.
- Apple Cider Vinegar With Honey.
- Suck On Garlic.
Read Also: Where Can I Buy Antibiotics For Tooth Infection
How Long Is Strep Throat Contagious
If you become infected with strep, you may not become sick for 2-5 days.
This is called the incubation period.
During this time, you can be contagious with strep throat even before you show symptoms.
You are considered contagious with strep throat until you have been without a fever for at least 24 hours and are starting to feel better, or until you have been taking antibiotics for a full day.
How Is Strep Throat Diagnosed
Your doctor may use a test called the rapid strep test to diagnose strep throat. For this test, the doctor uses a long cotton swab to take some of the fluid or mucus from the back of your throat. The results of this test can be ready in less than 15 minutes.
Your doctor may also do a culture of your mucus. If so, he or she will send a sample of your mucus to a laboratory. This test is called a throat culture. It can take up to 2 days to learn the results of a strep culture.
The rapid strep test and the culture can tell your doctor if you have strep throat. If something else is causing your sore throat, these tests do not tell what it is.
You May Like: Can You Use Triple Antibiotic Ointment On Genital Herpes
Don’t Miss: Can I Drink Wine With Antibiotics
Rash With Strep Throat
Strep throat typically causes a sore, scratchy throat. Some people may also develop a skin rash. Other symptoms of strep throat can include: chills .Protect Yourself and Others. Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Put your used tissue in the waste basket. Cough or sneeze into your upper sleeve or elbow, not your hands, if you dont have a tissue. Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Use .Some symptoms of strep throat include a headache, sore throat, high fever, swollen glands and infected tonsils. A strep rash looks like a bad sunburn with little red bumps. These bumps can start on the chest and then develop into a groin rash, underarm rash, and into a rash on the legs. See also How To Get Rid Of Scrotum Rash.
Read Also: Antibiotics For Dog Ear Infection
Sore Throats Caused By Strep Throat
Strep throat is caused by the bacteria Streptococcus . Strep throat typically requires treatment from a doctor and may require antibiotics.
Once you begin antibiotic treatment, strep throat symptoms should dissipate quickly. You may begin to feel relief from symptoms within one to two days. After beginning antibiotics, your symptoms should disappear completely within one week or less.
- gastroesophageal reflux
- irritants, such as smoking cigarettes, air pollution, and allergens
Sore throats caused by postnasal drip may be chronic. That means your throat may be sore until the underlying cause of the postnasal drip is treated.
You May Like: Can A Minute Clinic Prescribe Antibiotics
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.
How Can I Help My Child Feel Better
Home care can help your child feel better while battling strep throat. Give plenty of liquids to prevent dehydration, such as water or ginger ale, especially if he or she has had a fever. Avoid orange juice, grapefruit juice, lemonade, or other acidic beverages, which can irritate a sore throat. Warm liquids like soups, sweetened tea, or hot chocolate can be soothing.
Talk to your doctor about when your child can return to normal activities. Most kids can go back to school when they’ve taken antibiotics for at least 24 hours and no longer have a fever.
You May Like: Can Antibiotics Make Your Period Late
Gut Health During The Holidays
The holidays are right around the corner and many of us are thinking about how to not gain those extra pounds. However, it’s not just our weight we should be worried about we should also focus on keeping our gut healthy this holiday season. Our gut does much more than digest food it also has an important immune function. Keep your digestive tract strong and healthy for the holidays and new year by following these 5 easy tips:
What Are The Recommended Dosages Of Antibiotics Used To Treat Strep Throat
Antibiotic dosages can vary depending on age and weight. The CDC recommends the following dosages of antibiotics for Strep throat, for those people without a penicillin allergy. One dosage regimen should be chosen that is appropriate for the person being treated.
Oral Penicillin V
- Children: 250mg twice daily or 250mg three times daily for 10 days
- Adolescents and adults: 250mg four times daily or 500mg twice daily for 10 days
Oral amoxicillin
- Children and adults: 50 mg/kg once daily for 10 days
- Children and adults: 25 mg/kg twice daily for 10 days
Intramuscular Benzathine penicillin G
- Children < 27 kg: 600 000 units as a single dose
- Children and adults 27 kg: 1 200 000 units as a single dose
The CDC recommends the following dosages of antibiotics for Strep throat, for those people with a penicillin allergy. One dosage regimen should be chosen that is appropriate for the person being treated.
- Oral cephalexin 20 mg/kg twice daily for 10 days
- Oral cefadroxil 30 mg/kg once daily for 10 days
- Oral clindamycin 7 mg/kg three times daily for 10 days
- Oral azithromycin 12 mg/kg once daily for the first day , followed by 6 mg/kg once daily for the next 4 days
- Oral clarithromycin 7.5 mg/kg twice daily for 10 days.
Don’t Miss: How To Know You Need Antibiotics
Q How Is It Different Than A Regular Sore Throat
A. There are many different types of bacteria and viruses that can cause a sore throat. Many of the symptoms overlap between the causative agents and therefore it is very difficult to differentiate between strep pharyngitis and other causes of pharyngitis without testing. A cough is not a common symptom with strep throat and may indicate a different cause of sore throat.
Strep Throat: What Does It Look Like
Strep throat is medically known as streptococcal pharyngitis. Its caused by group A streptococcus bacteria that travel by tiny respiratory droplets from one person to the next. This means that when you cough or sneeze, exhale or even talk, you can spread strep throat and give it to someone else. Naturally, this means that sharing food or utensils and being in close contact with someone can spread the infection.
Strep throat symptoms include a sore, scratchy throat and visible pus on the tonsils at the back of the throat. Because your immune system senses and tries to fight off the infection, a high-grade fever is common, usually above 100 degrees Fahrenheit. These symptoms can begin a day or two after infection and last anywhere from one to two weeks.
You may experience other symptoms, such as muscle aches or abdominal pain, headache, and nausea. However, its important to note that a cough, runny nose, or hoarse voice does not coincide with strep throat. This is especially true if theres no fever present, in which case, its likely to be a viral infection.
This is why the best way to diagnose a strep infection is for a doctor to perform a throat culture. It aims to establish the number and kind of bacteria that are present in the throat. If streptococcal infection exists, the doctor can prescribe the appropriate course of antibiotics.
You May Like: Types Of Antibiotics For Ear Infection
Don’t Miss: How To Get Over Tonsillitis Without Antibiotics
What Causes Strep Throat
Strep throat is a bacterial infection that occurs due to a bacteria called Streptococcus pyogenes .
S. pyogenes belongs to a group of bacteria that grow in chains of spherical cells called group A Streptococcus.
According to a , strep throat causes approximately 515% of sore throats in adults and 2030% of cases involving children.
The state that group A strep bacteria typically live in the throat and nose and spread through tiny droplets of infected mucus or moisture.
Even people who are not experiencing symptoms can spread the bacteria.
Most people become exposed to infectious mucus droplets by:
- breathing them in
- washing the hands frequently for at least 20 seconds or use an alcohol-based sanitizer
- avoiding touching the nose, mouth, or face
- avoiding contact with people who have contagious infections
- washing glasses, plates, utensils, and other items after someone with strep throat has used them or come into contact with them
People with strep throat can also reduce the risk of spreading it to others by:
- taking antibiotics
- washing their hands frequently, especially after coughing or sneezing or before preparing or eating food
- coughing or sneezing into a tissue of the upper elbow or shirt sleeve, not the hands
- placing used tissues into the trash can or garbage
- staying home when symptomatic
How Contagious Is Strep Throat
Strep throatcontagiousstrep throatVarious home remedies and over-the-counter medications are useful in relieving the symptoms of strep throat.
- Drink plenty of fluids to avoid dehydration.
- Throat lozenges can sometimes provide temporary relief for a minor sore throat.
- Over-the-counter pain medications.
Recommended Reading: Do Antibiotics Cause Weight Loss
Home Remedies For A Sore Throat
Along with an antibiotic to treat strep, these home remedies will help you feel more comfortable.
- non-prescription pain medicine like ibuprofen
- gargling with warm salt water
- warm chicken soup
- warm tea with lemon
- electrolyte solution freezer pops
This is a case when grandmas remediesgargling with salt water and enjoying a bowl of chicken soupreally are the best. The warm, salty fluid soothes the throat tissues. I also suggest the freezer pops, especially for children whose throats are so sore that they are not eating or drinking much. It gives them a small amount of glucose along with the liquid.
Sore Throats Caused By Mononucleosis
Unlike sore throats caused by other viruses, those associated with mononucleosis can last for as long as one month. Mononucleosis is an infectious viral disease caused by the Epstein-Barr virus.
Antibiotics arent effective against mononucleosis, but corticosteroids can reduce the swelling, inflammation, and discomfort associated with sore throats caused by this condition.
You May Like: Where Can I Get Antibiotics For A Tooth Abscess
What Are The Signs & Symptoms Of Strep Throat
Signs of strep throat include:
- sore throat
- red and swollen tonsils
- painful or swollen neck glands
Not all sore throats are strep-infected throats. Often, kids have a sore throat because of a virus, which will usually clear up without medical treatment.
Kids who do have strep throat might get other symptoms within about 3 days, such as:
- red and white patches in the throat
- trouble swallowing
- strep rash
Symptoms Of Sore Throat
A sore throat can make it painful to swallow. A sore throat can also feel dry and scratchy. Sore throat can be a symptom of strep throat, the common cold, allergies, or other upper respiratory tract illness.
The following symptoms suggest a virus is the cause of the illness instead of the bacteria called group A strep:
- Cough
- Joint swelling and pain
- Rash
This list is not all-inclusive. Please see your doctor for any symptom that is severe or concerning.
Follow up with a doctor if symptoms do not improve within a few days, get worse, or if you or your child have recurrent sore throats.
You May Like: Is Pink Eye Contagious After Antibiotics
Does Strep Throat Go Away On Its Own
Strep throat typically goes away within three to seven days with or without antibiotic treatment. If strep throat is not treated with antibiotics, you may be contagious for two to three weeks and at a higher risk for complications such as rheumatic fever.
When Should I See A Health
If you have a sore throat and are unable to swallow liquids, you need to be seen as soon as possible. If you have been exposed to someone with strep throat who has not completed their antibiotics and is considered contagious, and now have symptoms, you should see a provider within two days. If you have a sore throat and have not been exposed to strep throat, see your provider if your symptoms have not improved after seven days of home care.
Read Also: Natural Antibiotics For Bronchial Infection
Natural Remedies For A Sore Throat
A sore throat can be very uncomfortable. The main symptoms are pain and irritation in the throat, especially when swallowing.
A sore throat occurs as part of the bodys immune response to viral or bacterial infections.
The natural immune response leads to inflammation and swelling of the mucous membranes in the throat.
However, several natural remedies may provide relief, including some that are supported by scientific evidence.
Here are 15 natural sore throat remedies.
People have used extracts from the marshmallow plant, Althaea officinalis, to treat sore throats and other conditions since ancient times.
Its root contains a gelatin-like substance called mucilage that coats and lubricates the throat when a person swallows it.
Researchers have tested lozenges containing marshmallow root in animals and found them to be effective and nontoxic, even at very high doses. It may also help soothe a dry cough (1,
Here is a recipe for a cold marshmallow root infusion to soothe a painful throat:
Ingredients:
- 1 liter of cold water
- 1 ounce, or 28 grams , of dried marshmallow root
Directions:
