Provided by Patient First
How often has this happened to you? You, or your spouse, or your child starts to feel the beginnings of a sore throat. Is it just a cold? Allergies? Or could it be something like strep throat?Strep throat is contagious amongst close contacts. This bacterial infection can be spread through the air, by sharing food or drinks, or by touching a contaminated surface (like a door knob, counter, eating utensils/dishware, or phone) and then touching your nose, eyes or mouth. That’s why strep throat often spreads within families and close school and daycare contacts, and is most common among patients between the ages of 5 and 15.
“Over the past several weeks, there has been an increase in the number of visits to our centers for sore throats,” says Patient First Regional Medical Director Dr. Delbert Morales. He attributes the rise in strep cases he’s seen to increases in social gatherings, and reductions in the number of people wearing of face masks. “It is important to be vigilant and be evaluated by a health care professional. Untreated strep throat can lead to complications, including ear infections, tonsil abscesses, and on rare occasion, rheumatic fever” – a disease that can affect the heart, joints, brain and skin.
Symptoms
Some, but not necessarily all, of these symptoms can begin appearing two to five days after exposure to the strep bacteria:• Sudden soreness in the throat• Difficulty and/or pain when swallowing• Fever and/or chills• Red and/or swollen tonsils, sometimes with white spots• Swollen, tender lymph nodes in the neck• Headache• Nausea, vomiting, and/or stomach pain• Body aches• Small discolored spots (petechiae) on the roof of the mouth• Rash on the body
These Symptoms may not be Strep:
Statistically, most sore throats are viral, not bacterial. If you observe any of the following symptoms, it is likely that your illness is viral, and NOT strep:
• Coughing• Runny Nose• Raspy voice (laryngitis)• Pink Eye (conjunctivitis)An on-site Rapid Strep Test can be used to diagnose strep, and can provide results in as little as ten minutes. If this test is negative, the doctor may take another throat swab and send it to an outside lab for culture to confirm that the sore throat is not caused by strep.
