Strep Throat and Its Symptoms: When Should You Get Tested?

Table of Contents

• Summary
• Introduction
• What Happens in this Health Issue?
• Important Symptoms
• When to go for a Strep Throat Test?
• Types of Strep Throat Tests
• What Happens if You Ignore Testing
• Prevention from Strep Throat
• Benefits of Strep Test
• Conclusion
• FAQs

Summary

The article provides very useful information about strep throat. It will focus on the symptoms of the strep throat. It will also address when one should consider a strep test in Acworth, GA. The readers will explore the symptoms in detail to understand the strep throat problems in detail. Hopefully our readers will get a good insight about the importance of early care.

Introduction

This is actually an infection that happens because of bacteria known as Group A Streptococcus. It is caused when a person is in contact with an infected person. The disease can be transmitted by coughing or sneezing. The article is aimed at providing useful information about the symptoms of strep throat. It will also provide information on when to visit a doctor for early tests. It may be common in winter and spring, and symptoms can be both mild or severe.

What Happens in this Health Issue?

The throat of a child having this issue may look red, swollen, or sore. Infected people may also have red spots on their mouth. These red spots are called petechiae. The child may also have streaks of pus, white patches on tonsils or throat.

Important Symptoms

There are obvious and common signs to identify strep throat in a child. Some of the important symptoms that need to be addressed are described below.

Sore Throat

Sore throat is the most obvious sign of strep throat. When someone starts feeling sudden pain in their throat, then it indicates the issue. The pain may be sharp and severe, which makes swallowing difficult. Mostly, you feel pain in such pain while eating or drinking.

Red or Swollen Tonsils

The condition of the tonsils is also affected when someone has issues in the throat. Mostly, white patches or pus appear on the tonsils. The tonsils then become swollen or red because of strep tonsils. Thus, such signs should not be ignored.

Inflamed Lymph Nodes

A child suffering from throat issues may suffer from issues in lymph nodes. Usually the lymph nodes get swollen due to strep throat. It also indicates a need for strep tests in Acworth.

Headache, Nausea, or Vomiting

There are also some additional symptoms of strep throat. It is mostly common in children that they suffer with headache, vomiting, or nausea. Adults may also suffer with these signs and symptoms. In some cases children may suffer with stomach pain, which also may indicate a strep throat issue.

Scarlet Fever

It is a bacterial fever often developed by people with strep throat. A red rash may appear after one day to two days of the strep throat issues. These red rashes may cover almost the whole body of the infected child. These symptoms and fever also indicate the issues of strep throat. 

Absence of Cold Symptoms

There are also some symptoms that remain absent even in strep throat issues. The throat issues sometimes may not include symptoms of runny nose or coughing. The absence of cold symptoms mostly helps in differentiating strep throat from viral infections.

When to go for a Strep Throat Test?

There are some major events and occasions when a child must seek a doctor’s consultation. It is important to not ignore those symptoms that trigger a strep test. Some of the conditions are discussed below.

Severe Symptoms

One should consider a strep test if the fever or throat sore gets severe. If the pain becomes consistent for more than two days, then it is wise to go for a test. It will help the child to get the proper medication to overcome the issue.

Rapid Onset of Symptoms

Rapid onset symptoms are those that are suddenly developed and can become severe. In such rapid-onset symptoms, one should consider a strep test in Acworth, GA. Rapid onset symptoms may include bleeding, blurred vision, breathing problems, etc.

In Contact with an Infected Child

Strep throats may spread from an infected child to others. Strep throat spreads by coughing or sneezing of an infected child. In the cases where someone is in contact with an infected child, then seeking medical testing is a wise decision. 

Seeking Medical Advice

It is important to consider the best healthcare provider in Acworth, GA, to address the strep throat problems. The medical experts at Hillside Family Medicine provide the best primary care in Acworth, GA, to deal with strep throat issues.

Types of Strep Throat Tests

There are two very efficient types of tests for diagnosing strep throat in Acworth, GA. The tests are rapid strep tests and throat cultures. Let’s discuss the tests one by one very briefly.

Rapid Strep Test

This test is about a quick throat swab examination. This test detects the presence of infecting factors in a short time, i.e., within minutes. Rapid strep tests also help to detect other infections like pneumonia, scarlet fever, etc.

Throat Culture

Throat culture is also known as a strep test. It is more accurate but takes considerably more time. It may take 24-48 hours to generate results. It identifies germs that may cause throat infection. It is also efficient to detect other fungal and bacterial infections.

What Happens if You Ignore Testing

Ignoring the symptoms and testing may bring about some severe complications. There are many worse outcomes of ignoring proper expert consultation and testing. The major consequences are:

• Ignoring testing may cause potential complications of major diseases. The risks may include glomerulonephritis or other health issues when not treated.
• It may increase the danger of spreading infection to other people or children. Early treatment may stop the spreading of the strep throat and other issues.

Prevention from Strep Throat

There are efficient ways to help avoid the strep throat from spreading. Proper knowledge and awareness of bacterial infection may help in stopping the strep throat from spreading. Some of the easy and efficient ways are:

• By habits of good hygiene.
• Washing hands regularly.
• Mostly washing hands before eating is more effective.
• Using alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
• Using tissue when coughing or sneezing.
• By stopping the use of cups or utensils used by the person who is infected.

Benefits of Strep Test

Early strep tests have many advantages. Reading these benefits may help our readers to understand the importance of a strep test. The benefits are as follows:

• It helps in early detection of infectious factors.
• It provides accurate diagnosis.
• Early testing always helps to prevent future health complications.
• Testing enables the patients to get targeted treatment.
• It also prevents unnecessary antibiotic medications.
• It is cost-effective if considered on time.

Conclusion

It is important to address the symptoms of infectious diseases if detected. The symptoms, like sore throat, swollen tonsils, etc., should not be ignored. Early strep tests can help in stopping the spread of such infections among children. Whenever you notice the symptoms of strep throat in you or your children, consider going for a test. Healthcare providers in Acworth, GA can facilitate you with the best testing facilities. Healthcare experts like Hillside Family Medicine help the patients to get the best medical services to people of all ages. 

FAQs