What is strep throat? What are the signs of strep throat?
Strep
throat is an infection caused by bacteria. It is called "strep" because
the bacteria that causes the infection is called streptococcus.
Adults
with strep throat may have a sore throat, a fever and swollen neck
glands. They usually don’t have a cough or a runny nose.
Children
with strep throat have a sore throat and may have tummy pain or a red
rash with small spots. The rash is worse under the arms and in skin
creases.
Your
doctor may give you or your child an antibiotic. Antibiotics kill
bacteria, which helps strep throat go away a little faster. It can also
prevent a few rare but serious conditions that people with strep throat
might get. It is important to take all of the medicine your doctor
gives you.
Should all sore throats be treated with antibiotics?
No.
Not every sore throat is strep throat. Bacteria only cause about 5% to
10% of sore throats. The rest are caused by viruses or other problems,
and antibiotics will not help. Your doctor can do a test to make sure
it is strep throat.
Your
doctor may use a test called the rapid strep test. For this test, the
doctor uses a long cotton swab to take some material from the back of
your throat. The results of this test can be ready in about 15 minutes.
Your
doctor may also do a culture of the throat material. A sample of the
throat material is sent to a laboratory. This test is called a throat
culture. It takes more than 24 hours to learn the results of a strep
culture.
The rapid strep test and the culture can tell your
doctor if you have strep throat. If something else is causing your sore
throat, these tests do not tell what it is.
Yes.
You can give the infection to other people until you have been treated
with an antibiotic for 1 to 3 days. Children with strep throat should
not go back to school or day care until their fever has gone away and
they have taken an antibiotic for at least 24 hours.
Here are some things that might help you feel better:
Taking
ibuprofen (some brand names: Advil, Motrin) or acetaminophen (one brand
name: Tylenol). Children should not take aspirin. Aspirin can cause
Reyes syndrome --a serious illness-- and in some cases, death when it
is used in children under 18 who have the flu.
Gargling with warm salt water (1/4 teaspoon of salt in 1 cup [8 ounces] of warm water).
For adults and older children, sucking on throat lozenges, hard candy or pieces of ice.
Eating soft foods, drinking cool drinks or warm liquids or sucking on Popsicles.
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