Strep throat is a bacterial infection that can make your throat feel sore and scratchy. Strep throat accounts for only a small portion of sore throats.If untreated, strep throat can cause complications, such as kidney inflammation or rheumatic fever. Rheumatic fever can lead to painful and inflamed joints, a specific type of rash, or heart valve damage.Strep throat is most common in children, but it affects people of all ages. If you or your child has signs or symptoms of strep throat, see your doctor for prompt testing and treatment.
SYMPTOMS
signs and symptoms of strepthroat can include:
Throat pain that usually comes on quickly
Painful swallowing
Red and swollen tonsils, sometimes with white patches or streaks of pus
Tiny red spots on the area at the back of the roof of the mouth (soft or hard palate)
Swollen, tender lymph nodes in your neck
Fever
Headache
Rash
Nausea or vomiting, especially in younger children
Body aches
It’s possible for you or your child to have many of these signs and symptoms but not have strep throat. The cause of these signs and symptoms could be a viral infection or some other illness. That’s why your doctor generally tests specifically for strep throat.
It’s also possible for you to be exposed to a person who carries strep but shows no symptoms.
Throat pain that usually comes on quickly
Painful swallowing
Red and swollen tonsils, sometimes with white patches or streaks of pus
Tiny red spots on the area at the back of the roof of the mouth (soft or hard palate)
Swollen, tender lymph nodes in your neck
Fever
Headache
Rash
Nausea or vomiting, especially in younger children
Body aches
It’s possible for you or your child to have many of these signs and symptoms but not have strep throat. The cause of these signs and symptoms could be a viral infection or some other illness. That’s why your doctor generally tests specifically for strep throat.
It’s also possible for you to be exposed to a person who carries strep but shows no symptoms.
CAUSES
Strep throat is caused by infection with a bacterium known as Streptococcus pyogenes, also called group A streptococcus.
Streptococcal bacteria are contagious. They can spread through droplets when someone with the infection coughs or sneezes, or through shared food or drinks. You can also pick up the bacteria from a doorknob or other surface and transfer them to your nose, mouth or eyes.
Streptococcal bacteria are contagious. They can spread through droplets when someone with the infection coughs or sneezes, or through shared food or drinks. You can also pick up the bacteria from a doorknob or other surface and transfer them to your nose, mouth or eyes.
Risk factors
Several factors can increase your risk of strep throat infection:
Young age.Strep throat occurs most commonly in children.
Time of year.Although strep throat can occur anytime, it tends to circulate in winter and early spring. Strep bacteria flourish wherever groups of people are in close contact.
COMPLICATIONS
Strep throat can lead to serious complications. Antibiotic treatment reduces the risk.
Tonsils
Sinuses
Skin
Blood
Middle ear
Spread of infection
Strep bacteria may spread, causing infection in:Tonsils
Sinuses
Skin
Blood
Middle ear
Inflammatory reactions
Strep infection may lead to inflammatory illnesses, including: Scarlet fever, a streptococcal infection characterized by a prominent rash.Inflammation of the kidney (poststreptococcal glomerulonephritis).Rheumatic fever, a serious inflammatory condition that can affect the heart, joints, nervous system and skin.Poststreptococcal reactive arthritis, a condition that causes inflammation of the joints.A possible relationship has been suggested between strep infection and a rare condition called pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorder associated with group A streptococci (PANDAS). Children with this condition experience worsened symptoms of neuropsychiatric conditions, such as obsessive-compulsive disorder or tic disorders, with strep. This relationship currently remains unproved and controversial.DIAGNOSIS
To see whether you have strep throat, contact your health care professional. They’ll will ask about your or your child’s symptoms. The only sure way to tell strep from viruses that cause a sore throat is to do a test. There are two kinds of strep throat tests:
Rapid strep test: It can identify a case in just a few minutes. The doctor will gently hold down your or your child’s tongue with a depressor. Then, they will swipe a cotton swab around the back of the throat.
You’ll get the results in 20 minutes or less. If the test is positive, which means strep is there, the doctor may prescribe antibiotics to treat it.If the test is negative, that means they didn’t find strep bacteria. Your doctor might send the sample to a lab for a follow-up test that takes longer.
Rapid strep test: It can identify a case in just a few minutes. The doctor will gently hold down your or your child’s tongue with a depressor. Then, they will swipe a cotton swab around the back of the throat.
You’ll get the results in 20 minutes or less. If the test is positive, which means strep is there, the doctor may prescribe antibiotics to treat it.If the test is negative, that means they didn’t find strep bacteria. Your doctor might send the sample to a lab for a follow-up test that takes longer.
TREATMENT
A rapid strep test can be positive if you have a sore throat that’s caused by a virus. It can be difficult to tell what’s causing the sore throat in that situation because you’re carrying the bacteria and a virus. If you keep getting a sore throat after taking antibiotics, you (or your child) could have a viral throat infection and be a strep throat carrier. You might be less likely to spread it to other people, though.
Your doctor may prescribe antibiotics to kill the bacteria that cause the infection. Most treatments last about 10 days. The medicine can make symptoms go away faster and help prevent complications.
If you or your child has a positive test but no symptoms, you’re probably just a carrier. In that case, you’re less likely to spread the bacteria to others, and unlikely to have complications. So you probably won’t need antibiotics. Your doctor can let you know if you need them or not.
Your doctor may prescribe antibiotics to kill the bacteria that cause the infection. Most treatments last about 10 days. The medicine can make symptoms go away faster and help prevent complications.
If you or your child has a positive test but no symptoms, you’re probably just a carrier. In that case, you’re less likely to spread the bacteria to others, and unlikely to have complications. So you probably won’t need antibiotics. Your doctor can let you know if you need them or not.
Prevention
To prevent strep infection:
Wash your hands.Proper hand-washing is the best way to prevent all kinds of infections. That’s why it’s important to wash your own hands regularly with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Teach your children how to wash their hands properly using soap and water or to use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer if there is no soap and water available.
Cover your mouth.Teach your children to cover their mouths with an elbow or tissue when they cough or sneeze.
Don’t share personal items.Don’t share drinking glasses or eating utensils. Wash dishes in hot, soapy water or in a dishwasher.
