Symptoms of Strep Throat

Unlike other throat infections, strep throat is not a viral infection, it is a bacterial infection which is caused by bacteria called Streptococcus. This bacteria affects the pharynx and larynx in the throat. The other names for this condition include streptococcal sore throat, streptococcal tonsillitis and streptococcal pharyngitis. Strep throat is contagious and therefore, is easily transferable from an infected person through close contact. Many people mistake strep throat to be sore throat (which is a viral infection) as both the conditions are equally painful. In viral infection though, the person has cold symptoms such as sneezing, coughing or stuffy and running nose, whereas signs are slightly different than any other kind of throat infection. Although, this condition is transferable by coming into contact with the affected person, the symptoms of throat infection only starts to appear after 2 to 3 days of coming into contact with the infected person.

Indications of a Strep Throat

Given below are the common signs and symptoms that appear in both adults and children:

• Fever
• Throat pain when swallowing and even otherwise
• Headache
• Fatigue
• Tender and swollen lymph nodes in the neck
• Swollen red tonsillitis with pus
• Skin Rash
• Stomach pain with vomiting
• Difficulty swallowing
• Loss of appetite
• Muscle and joint pain

These were some of the common symptoms. However, some symptoms tend to vary depending on the age of the infected person, the symptoms in children might be slightly different than the ones in adults.

Symptoms in Children
Children can be categorized into three groups, infants, toddlers and adolescents or teenagers. In infants, behavioral changes are one of the most noticeable symptoms when affected by strep throat. As they tend to be restless and seem to be more irritable and fussy. Besides the behavioral changes, you will also notice green or yellow drainage from the nose and low appetite. Toddlers aged between one to three years of age experience difficulty swallowing, swelling under the jaws because of the swollen glands, irritability and a decrease in appetite. Throat infection in adolescents can be diagnosed by observing signs like high fever, severe trouble swallowing because of painful throat. Children of this group also tend to have tonsils covered with pus.

Signs in Adults
Many a time, strep throat in adults is not easily detected as the symptoms are of mild nature and only become prominent and noticeable at a later stage.

Strep Throat Diagnosis

Strep throat can be diagnosed or identified through a physical examination wherein the doctor checks for any significant symptoms and also checks the history of patient's health. The next step to confirm is, conducting a rapid strep test or a throat culture test wherein the sample swab is taken from the throat of the possibly infected person and is put in a cup (special cup called culture) allowing the infections to grow. Growing infections in the cup suggests presence of infection. If the infections do not grow and if the throat culture test is negative then, the person is not suffering from strep throat and it might be a mild throat infection.

Strep Throat Treatment

Strep throat treatment includes both home remedies and using antibiotics. There are many home remedies for bacterial throat infection, one of which involves including lots of liquid in the diet such as soups, herbal tea and drinking plenty of water. If these home remedies don't seem to help, then without any delay you should visit the doctor who will first do a thorough diagnosis and then prescribe antibiotics to treat the condition. Some of the antibiotics include penicillin, erythromycin and amoxicillin. These antibiotics should not be taken without consulting a doctor as you don't want any further side effects or complications other than the already painful throat.

Strep throat can be prevented by avoiding contact with the person affected by this condition. Immediate medical attention is required if you don't see any difference in your condition after trying remedies at home. Undetected and untreated sore throat can lead to complications such as rheumatic fever and kidney inflammation so, don't take chances. If you see any of the above mentioned symptoms, go see a doctor immediately! Take care...