Strep Throat

A sore, scratchy throat is often the first sign that you're getting sick, and it's a common reason people see their doctors. Most sore throats, such as those that accompany a cold or the flu, are caused by viral infections and usually go away on their own within a few days.

Only a small portion of sore throats are the result of strep throat. But it's important to identify this bacterial throat infection for a number of reasons. Unlike other causes of sore throat, strep throat is treatable. The bacteria that cause strep throat respond quickly to antibiotics, and treatment stops the infection from spreading to other people.

If not treated, strep throat infections can sometimes cause complications such as rheumatic fever. Rheumatic fever can cause painful and inflamed joints and a rash, and can even result in damage to heart valves. Another potential complication of strep throat infections is kidney inflammation.

Strep throat is most common in children between the ages of 5 and 15, but it affects people of all ages. In addition to throat soreness, signs and symptoms typically include a fever plus tender and swollen lymph glands (nodes) in the neck. Younger children may also complain of abdominal pain.

If you or your child has signs or symptoms of strep throat, see your doctor. A quick test can result in diagnosis of strep throat in most cases, so that treatment can start promptly.

In general, signs and symptoms of strep throat include:

• Throat pain
• Difficulty swallowing
• Red and swollen tonsils, sometimes with white patches or streaks of pus
• Swollen, tender lymph glands (nodes) in your neck
• Fever
• Headache
• Rash
• Stomachache and sometimes vomiting, especially in younger children

It's possible for you or your child to have many of these signs and symptoms, but not have strep throat. The cause of these signs and symptoms could be a virus, tonsillitis or other illnesses. That's why your doctor generally tests specifically for strep throat.

It's also possible to have the bacteria that cause strep in your throat without having a sore throat. Some people are carriers of strep, which means they can pass the bacteria on to others, but the bacteria no longer make them sick.

The cause of strep throat is bacteria known as Streptococcus pyogenes, or group A beta-hemolytic streptococcus.

Streptococcal bacteria are highly contagious. They can spread through airborne droplets when someone with the infection coughs or sneezes. You can also pick up the bacteria from a doorknob or other surface and transfer them to your nose or mouth. Kitchen utensils and bathroom objects are other common sources of infection transmission.

Call your doctor if you or your child has any of these signs and symptoms:

• A sore throat without a cold or runny nose
• A sore throat accompanied by tender, swollen lymph glands (nodes)
• A sore throat that lasts longer than 48 hours
• A fever higher than 103' F in older children, or any fever lasting longer than 48 hours
• Rash
• Joint pain
• Problems breathing or difficulty swallowing anything, including saliva

Call your doctor if you or your child doesn't feel better after taking antibiotics for 24 to 48 hours. Sometimes problems occur even after you or your child has finished treatment for strep throat.

Call your doctor if your child develops a fever, or has pain or swelling in the joints, shortness of breath or a rash, after a strep infection, even as long as three weeks after a strep infection. These can be indicators of rheumatic fever. Cola-colored urine after a strep throat infection may indicate kidney inflammation.

Doctors usually diagnose the cause of a sore throat on the basis of a physical exam and lab tests. During the exam, your doctor looks for signs and symptoms of strep throat, such as fever and enlarged lymph nodes, and will probably use a tongue depressor to get a good look at the throat and tonsils.

He or she will check for redness, swelling and white streaks or pus on the tonsils. There also may be tiny red spots on the soft or hard palate, the area at the back of the roof of the mouth. Although these signs indicate an infection, there's no way to tell by just looking whether it's viral or bacterial. In fact, some viral throat infections look worse than infections caused by streptococcal bacteria.

For that reason, your doctor is likely to use one or more of the following tests to check for the presence of bacteria, including streptococcal bacteria:

• Throat culture. For this test, a sterile swab is rubbed over the back of the throat and tonsils to get a sample of the secretions. It's not a painful procedure, but it may cause brief gagging. The sample is then cultured in a laboratory for the presence of bacteria, but results may take as long as two days.
• Rapid antigen test. Because of the waiting period for a throat culture, your doctor may also order a rapid antigen test on the swab sample. This test can detect strep bacteria in minutes by looking for foreign substances (antigens) in the throat. If you or your child tests positive for strep bacteria, antibiotic treatment can begin right away. But rapid strep tests have a downside. They may miss some strep throat infections. For this reason, many doctors still use throat cultures, especially if results of the rapid test are negative.
• Rapid DNA test. Newer rapid tests use DNA technology to detect strep throat in a day or less from a throat swab. These tests are as accurate as throat cultures and the results are available sooner.

Although strep throat itself isn't dangerous, it may lead to serious complications if left untreated. These complications include other infections, such as:

• Tonsillitis or a collection of pus around the tonsils caused by infection (peritonsillar abscess)
• Sinus infection (sinusitis)
• Ear infection
• Scarlet fever, an illness characterized by a rash

Strep throat may also lead to inflammation of the kidney (glomerulonephritis) and rheumatic fever.

Rheumatic fever causes inflammatory deposits (nodules) to form in various tissues, including the joints, skin and muscles. These nodules also may form on the heart muscle, the lining of the heart and especially the heart valves, causing scarring that can interfere with the flow of blood inside the heart. Although surgery can sometimes repair scarred valves, the damage may be permanent. In some cases this damage may lead to heart failure. However, the risk of developing severe complications from strep throat is low in the United States.

If you or your child has strep throat, your doctor will likely prescribe an oral antibiotic such as penicillin, amoxicillin (Amoxil, Trimox), azithromycin (Zithromax), clarithromycin (Biaxin), clindamycin (Cleocin) or a brand of cephalosporin (Keflex, Ceclor). Penicillin may be given by injection in some cases, such as if you have a young child who is having a hard time swallowing or is vomiting from strep throat.

These antibiotics reduce the duration and severity of symptoms, as well as the risk of complications and the likelihood that infection will spread to classmates or family members.

Once treatment begins, you or your child should start feeling better in just a day or two. Call your doctor if you or your child doesn't feel better after taking antibiotics for 24 to 48 hours. If children on antibiotic therapy feel well and don't have a fever, they often can return to school or child care when they're no longer contagious, usually 24 hours after beginning treatment. But be sure to finish the entire course of medicine. Stopping medication early may lead to recurrences and serious complications, such as rheumatic fever or kidney inflammation.

In addition to antibiotics, your doctor may suggest ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, others) or acetaminophen (Tylenol, others) to relieve throat pain and reduce fever. Because of the risk of Reye's syndrome, a potentially life-threatening illness, don't give aspirin to young children. Be careful with acetaminophen, too. Taken in large doses, it can cause serious problems. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist if you have questions.

Healthy Trust Immediate Medical Care serves the Chicago North Shore Communities of Lake County, Wheeling, Prospect Heights, Lincolnshire, Deerfield, Buffalo Grove, Northbrook, Highland Park, Long Grove, Riverwoods, Des Plaines, Palatine, Glenview, Highwood, Northfield, Libertyville, Winnetka, Arlington Heights, Mount Prospect, Lake Bluff, Lake Forest, Mundelein, and Bannockburn.