As infants and children develop, their immune systems are not fully mature and often are not strong enough to fight off many infections. As a result, these children are often vulnerable to many painful and debilitating viral and bacterial infections. One of these infections is known as strep throat, a bacterial infection of the throat and tonsils.
When I was a child, both my sister and I had strep for a period of time, and for me, it was super painful. It got to the point where I would avoid swallowing as much as I could just to avoid the pain. The first step to recognizing strep is to identify common symptoms. After that, it is recommended to go to the doctor, as they can test you for it and prescribe antibiotics to facilitate recovery.
Identifying strep throat can be difficult, as it shares symptoms with the common cold. However, it does have a few distinguishing symptoms. As noted by my debilitating pain, the chief symptom that differentiates strep from the common cold is a very painful sore throat.
Although they can both have is different from the pain of the common sore throat. Pain from strep generally comes on much quicker than the pain from the common sore throat. Furthermore, it will also likely cause swelling of the tonsils, which the common cold does not. This is because the tonsils are one of the main areas infected, and they swell as a response to this infection.
Another characteristic of strep is tiny red spots on the roof of the mouth and white patches deeper in the throat. Another neat trick to differentiate it from a normal sore throat is that strep will not generally cause a runny nose, whereas a sore throat from a cold will have an accompanying runny nose. Some symptoms that they have in common include headache, appetite loss and fever.
Despite all the indicators, no matter how trained you are, it is impossible to tell if someone has strep just by simply examining their throat for symptoms. If you suspect that you or someone else has it, then schedule a doctor’s appointment to be tested and possibly prescribed an antibiotic.
When you are tested, the doctor simply uses a cotton swab to get a culture of the bacteria in the back of the throat and that culture is then tested for the bacteria that causes strep. This test is very quick, and you can get the results within minutes. If you test positive, then the doctor will likely prescribe an antibiotic that lasts about a week. Please be sure to continue taking antibiotics for the remainder of the prescription even after symptoms fade, as bacteria can easily linger with no symptoms.
So, now you know how to treat strep if you ever get it. However, the biggest treatment is preventing it from happening in the first place. Luckily, there are many hygienic tips that accomplish just that.
One of these prevention tips is to use tissues for blowing your nose and sneezing. This traps bacteria into the tissue and protects those around you from the bacteria that is in your throat. Another prevention tip is washing your hands. By washing your hands with soap and water, you can kill the bacteria before it even has a chance to enter your body.
As a parent, strep throat is not one of the ailments that you would like to see your child have. Although relatively harmless, it could be so painful for your child that they for some reason start spitting into cups and dishes. Being able to recognize strep and visiting a doctor quickly is essential to minimizing the pain caused by it. Take it from me, it is not something that you want to delay treating.
(Note: These articles are good-faith attempts to be helpful to the Brandeis community and are by no means to be taken as universal. This article does not replace the advice of a medical professional. This article is not written on behalf of the Brandeis Emergency Medical Corps (BEMCo) and is not affiliated with BEMCo in any manner.)
