The symptoms and signs of strep throat
The frequent symptoms of strep throat are:
- * A hard-time swallowing
- * Pain in the throat
- * Fever
- * Vomiting an stomach pain in small children
- * Rash
- * Headaches
- * Inflammation and tenderness in the neck's lymph glands
- * Inflamed, red tonsils that may sometimes have pus formations
There are cases in which patients with strep throat do not experience sore throat. In other situations, the bacteria don't affect their carrier, which only transmit it to others around him/her.
The above symptoms are not necessarily caused by strep throat. There are also other conditions that share common signs, such as tonsillitis. The presence or absence of strep throat will be determined by healthcare professionals through a specific test for this condition.
When to address a doctor?
The doctor should be informed in case your child or yourself experience one or more of the following signs and symptoms:
- * Breathing and swallowing problems
- * Rash
- * A sore throat for more than 2 days
- * Pain of the articulations
- * A sore throat that doesn't involve runny or cold nose
- * Both a sore throat and the inflammation and tenderness of ganglions
- * A fever higher that 38 C that persists for more than two days
- There are 2 major situations in which a doctor should be called:
- * In case the antibiotics do not improve your child's symptoms after two days of treatment. This may occur even after the end of the treatment.
- * In case he/she has a fever or painful inflamed articulations, rash or breathing problems
The problems mentioned above (fever, articular pain, rash or difficulty to breathe) that follow a strep infection may suggest the presence of rheumatic fever. A possible glomerulonephritis is present, in case your child's urine has a brown color.
Tests and diagnosis for strep throat
In order to diagnose strep throat, or other possible cause of sore throats, both physical exams and laboratory tests are necessary. The physical exam consists in the search for the bacterial infection, such as swollen ganglions or fever. To obtain a good view on the throat and tonsils, the doctors frequently use a tongue depressor.
The signs of infection are white streaks on the tonsils, red-colored spots on the hard and soft palate, inflammation or a redness of the tonsils. Because the doctor cannot determine the exact cause of the infection (viruses or bacteria), additional tests are required, especially because there are viral infections that look more severe than the aspect generated by streptococcal bacteria.
The following test are designed to detect the bacterial infection, such as strep throat:
- * Rapid DNA test gives the diagnosis of strep throat in less than one day from its apparition. It is a new test that uses DNA technology and it equals the accuracy of culture tests, but it is quicker.
- * Throat culture tests involve a sterile swab, which takes a sample of the mucus, on the tonsils, and the back of the throat. The sample is then taken to laboratory and cultured to detect the presence of bacteria. The test isn't painful, but the results are only available the next day.
- * Rapid antigen tests – has quicker result then throat culture and involves a part of the same sample. The results are given after a few minutes and show whether strep throat bacteria are present or not. In case the results are positive, antibiotic treatment should be started immediately. Their disadvantage is that there are times in which they fail to recognize strep throat infection; this increases the necessity for the results of pharyngeal exudate, especially in case of negative results.