Healthcare providers use several tests to diagnose strep throat.
Strep throat can cause serious complications, though it’s uncommon.
What Is Strep Throat?
Verywell / Emily Roberts
Untreated strep throat can cause complications such as rheumatic fever and kidney problems.
Though strep throat is most common in children, adults can get it, too.
Other symptoms of strep throat include:
Strep throat symptoms typically last for around one week.
What Can Be Mistaken for Strep Throat?
Strep throat is not the only infection that can cause asore throat.
In fact, viral illnesses that cause a sore throatsuch as the common coldare more common than strep throat.
Your tonsils might be red and swollen.
They might also have white streaks or pus on them.
You might also have fatigue and a headache, but cough is usually not a strep throat symptom.
How Long Is the Contagious Period of Strep Throat?
Strep throat ishighly contagiousthrough airborne particles, touching a contaminated surface, or sharing personal items like food utensils.
You’ll feel sick about two to five days after exposure.
The bacteria spreads more easily in indoor places where a lot of people gather.
This condition causes sudden onset of obsessive-compulsive behaviors and/or tics.
Does Strep Throat Go Away on Its Own?
For example, children with a red-bump rash may have strep that’s led toscarlet fever.
It’s important for people to be accurately diagnosed and treated by a healthcare provider.
Diagnosis
Your healthcare provider can usually tell if you have strep throat.
An expert in throat health, called anotolaryngologist, can alsodiagnose the infection.
For example, a viral illnesscannot be treated with antibiotics.
However, if you have strep throat, it means you have a bacterial infection.
For example, if you areallergic to penicillin, they can prescribe you a different kind of antibiotic.
Sometimes, antibiotics are not strong enough to clear up a strep throat infection.
This is called antibiotic resistance.
You should stay home with strep throat until you’ve taken antibiotics for 24 to 48 hours.
After that, you aren’t contagious and can’t spread strep throat to other people.
It is important totake your antibiotic prescriptionexactly as instructed.
it’s crucial that you finish all of the medicationeven if you start to feel better.
If you stop taking the antibiotics too early, the infection might not clear up.
Instead, it might get worse.
You could also haveserious complicationsfrom the infection.
Prevention
Strep throat is very contagious.
It’s easilyspread from one person to another.
Someone with strep throat has the bacteria in their saliva and other body fluids.
If they cough or sneeze, they can easily spread it to people.
Sharing drinks or touching objects they’ve used also spreads infection.
Summary
Strep throat is a common infection that is resulting from bacteria.
The most common symptom is a very sore throat.
Your tonsils may also swell up and have pus on them.
Since strep throat is brought on by bacteria, it can usually be treated with antibiotics.
Home remedies and OTC treatments, like cool drinks and ibuprofen, can relieve symptoms.
Most people recover from strep throat in about a week and do not have any long-term problems.
However, if a person stops their prescribed treatment too soon, the infection might not get better.
They could also develop serious complications.
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