Strep Throat: Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment

A runny nose, sore throat, or diarrhea may seem the signs of seasonal viral infection. In this condition, bone broth and herbal teas come in handy. No question, treating flu and fever via natural ways is effective and bring comfort at the same time. However, a sore throat is not always a minor health disorder. Sometimes it is a symptom of dreadful throat disorder such as strep throat.

Infectious bacteria – streptococcal contribute to the strep throat. In this condition, you encounter swelling and inflammation in the lining of mucous membranes. This lining is present in the back of your throat and tonsils. This contagious throat issue commonly affects school-aged children and teenagers. Doctors recommend prompt treatment of the strep throat to keep further health complications at bay.

Symptoms of Strep Throat

The symptoms of strep throat occur at least one to six days before the infection spread completely. The symptoms are mild to severe. In most cases, strep throat follows a sore throat and begins suddenly. This condition also contributes to the swelling and redness of the back of the tonsils and throat. Not to mention, swallowing food and liquids get difficult which lead to varying degrees of dehydration. The symptom like a sore throat due to other infection or health problem and strep throat are often similar which make diagnoses complex. The common signs of strep throat in children and teens are the following:

• Swollen and red or inflamed tonsillitis
• A sore throat
• Fever
• White spot or patches on the tonsils (also called tonsillar exudates)
• Tender and swollen lymph nodes located on each side of your upper neck (cervical lymphadenopathy)

Moreover, health experts revealed that strep throat affect your health adversely and result in certain symptoms. So, if you experience any of these signs, consult your doctor immediately.

• Abdominal pain
• A headache
• Skin rash (scarlet fever)
• Vomiting and nausea
• Small red spots on your soft or hard palate (roof of your mouth)
• Loss of appetite
• Discomfort, ill or uneasy vibe

Most people develop eye redness, mouth ulcers, diarrhea, runny nose, and hoarseness, in strep throat, which confuses it with other ailments. That is why seeking medical help is necessary. Your health expert will identify strep throat in no time and prescribed better treatment. It is worth noting sufferers of strep throat develop varying symptoms. In addition, keeping an eye on the condition can help in this context.

• For instance, if the infection has affected an infant, which is quite uncommon, the baby will appear irritable and fussy. Nasal discharge followed by a low-grade fever indicates the presence of streptococcal in infants.
• It might be alarming if your child complains about the pain in abdomen and sore throat. You should watch whether your little one eating as usual or not. In case of loss of appetite with abdominal pain, it’s time to see a doctor immediately.
• Strep throat in teens is uncontrollable. It comes with high fever, severe sore throat, and a lot of discomfort whereas only 10% of adults encounter strep throat. The symptoms are mild to severe in their case. Seeking medical help is recommended as well.
• Moreover, stinky tonsils or bad breath is another alarming condition. It occurs when white deposits (tonsilloliths) develop in or on the tonsils. Moreover, food particles get trapped in the deposits. It leads to bad mouth odor when bacteria attack those food particles. Therefore, you need medical treatment to remove the white deposits.

Causes of Strep Throat

Health experts state that Group A Streptococcus (GAS) bacteria, most commonly Streptococcus pathogens lead to debilitating strep throat. This streptococcal infection influences your pharyngeal tissue and results in inflammation of the tonsils and throat alike. These bacterial organisms often are found in your throat or skin and responsible for several health disorders including skin infections.

It is true that children and teenagers are prone to strep throat. Studies concluded that streptococcus spp bacteria are associated with the infection of this age group. You should keep an eye on the symptoms specifically in the time between late fall and early spring. This time of the year is when children experience strep throat the most.

It is evident that bacteria cause strep throat but in most cases, a viral infection, due to a certain virus ultimately lead to the development of strep throat.

Treatment of Strep Throat

You need to visit your doctor, once you encounter a sign indicating the onset of strep throat, whether it is major or minor. The health expert will prescribe antibiotics to eliminate the infection. If strep throat is not treated via antibiotics, chances are that complications including acute rheumatic fever, scarlet fever, glomerulonephritis, abscess formation, poststreptococcal, or streptococcal toxic shock syndrome reoccurred. There are antibiotics such as cephalosporins, penicillins, or macrolides that speed up the recovery process.

You can ingest penicillin for 10 days along with one injection if you can tolerate oral medication. Moreover, amoxicillin can also become an effective alternative to penicillin. If these options are not available, you can always opt for cephalosporins to treat strep throat in a short time span.

There are other antibiotic options available like azithromycin and erythromycin. You can get any of these in case you develop allergic reactions from penicillin. However, you should avoid taking medicine without consulting your primary healthcare provider. A medical expert prescribes medicine after a thorough examination and learning about your symptoms. Taking wrong antibiotics will only make your case worse and affect your health adversely.

You can soothe symptoms of strep throat such as a sore throat via home remedies. You should keep yourself hydrated, consume herbal tea, and take complete rest and extra sleep. Although natural sources do not contain hazardous chemicals and impact your health positively, you should not prefer treating strep throat with natural remedies.

Bottom Line

Strep throat seems a complicated health ailment to treat. It gets even troubling in the case of children. Despite that, the symptoms of this throat problem are clear which help identify it at the initial level. You can take note of sudden unusual changes like loss of appetite and abdominal pain in your child as teenagers and senior people can detect the signs. A high fever followed by nausea and skin rash is convincing enough to visit your doctor without wasting time.