Strep Throat (Streptococcus Pharyngitis)

Asking people about just two symptoms — fever and lack of cough — is the most important - Nancy Shute

Strep Throat (Streptococcus Pharyngitis)
Strep Throat (Streptococcus Pharyngitis)

image by: Carl Kawasaki

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Strep Symptoms: When to Use Antibiotics

School is in full swing, it’s fall, and strep-throat season is about to begin.

All physicians and most parents by now know the importance of recognizing and adequately treating a throat infection caused by Group A streptococcal bacteria. These organisms, if not stopped in their tracks by appropriate antibiotics, can result in rheumatic fever and permanently damaged heart valves, among other serious complications.

Thanks to penicillin, which readily kills strep bacteria, rheumatic fever has all but disappeared in countries like the United States. Now physicians are worried about overtreatment, the prescription of antibiotics for children whose sore throats are caused not…

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 Strep Symptoms: When to Use Antibiotics

Symptoms of a strep throat and a sore throat caused by a virus can overlap (children may experience stuffy noses, coughs and sneezing with a strep infection as well as with a cold), further complicating a doctor’s decision on whether to treat the illness or to let nature take its course.

5 Steps to a Speedy Recovery From Strep

Strep throat doesn't just run in our house; it gallops. It enters with force, knocks us to our knees and just when we think we've kicked it, it appears again for an encore. They say that fall and winter are the peak seasons for strep, but in our house, strep knows no season. It is timeless, enduring and a royal pain in the... throat.

CDC

Strep throat is more common in children than adults. It is most common in children 5 through 15 years old. It is rare in children younger than 3 years old. Adults who are at increased risk for strep throat include: Parents of school-aged children, Adults who are often in contact with children.

Family Doctor

Research has shown that it is difficult to confidently tell strep throat from more common viral infections. The presence of a runny nose may be a pointer to a viral infection.A higher fever and predominantly sore throat might make strep infection more likely. Throat swabs can help in diagnosis, although does not 100% confirm that the sore throat is being caused by the strep infection,as a proportion of healthy people(10 to 15 percent) may carry strep in their throats. An antibody tests on the blood ,showing a rise over 2 weeks can confirm strep infection,but this is not practical in the management of most strep sore throats.

MedicineNet

While many people use the terms sore throat, tonsillitis, and strep throat interchangeably, there are significant clinical differences among these conditions.

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