If you have ever had a sore throat and wondered if you need to go the doctor for it, then
this video is for YOU.
I'm going to teach you how to recognize the symptoms of strep throat, when You need to
be seen, and when it's o.k. to stay home.
Welcome to Family Med, your medical home for practical and accurate information to help
your family make healthy decisions.
If you are new here, let me introduce myself.
I'm Doctor Erik Richardson, my passion is helping you cut through all the health information
clutter on the internet and giving you the knowledge you need to live a healthier life.
So as I said in the intro, today we are going to help you learn about strep throat, what
it is, how to recognize it and when its important that you go to the doctor.
Strep throat is fairly common and chances are that you or one of your kids have had
it.
But chances are even greater that you've gone to the doctor thinking that you might have
strep throat only to be sent home feeling like you wasted your time because your doctor
told you that it was a virus and there wasn't anything they could do about it.
Hopefully after watching this video you will be able to be a little more informed on when
it's important to go in and when you can try treating it at home to see if it will go away
on it's own.
So first of all, let's establish a little background on strep throat.
What is it and why do we care about treating it.
Strep throat is an infection that is caused a bacteria called Group A Strep.
It's a bacteria that lives in the nose and throat and can easily spread to other people.
It is usually spread by either breathing in the bacteria after somebody has coughed or
sneezed, or touching, eating or drinking from something that had been exposed.
So why do we care about treating it?
Well first of all ,and most obvious is because it hurts, you are miserable and treating it
can help shorten the illness.
We also already talked about it being contagious so we try and treat it to help prevent the
spreading it to others.
But all of these are just bonus benefits.
The biggest reason why you need to treat strep is to prevent complications that can come
about because of it.
These are things such as tonsillar abscesses, this is when you form a pocket of infection
behind the tonsil that can make you pretty sick.
We treat it to prevent developing a more rare condition affecting the kidneys called "post-streptococcal
glomerulonephritis".
This is a condition that is caused by the body's inflammatory response to the bacteria
that then causes damage to the kidneys.
We also treat it to prevent something called "rheumatic fever".
This is also a condition that is a inflammatory response to the body fighting off the bacteria
that can lead to among other things damage to the heart and heart valves.
These can cause some serious health problems and are really important to try and prevent.
The reason I'm starting with the discussion of these complications is to help you understand
the need to get strep properly treated and not ignore it, if you have symptoms that are
more consistent with strep.
So at this point you may be more inclined to just run to the doctor every time your
throat hurts just in case.
Well don't hop in the car yet because there are some common symptoms that I'm going to
go over with you that will help you make a better decision of when you should go in to
be seen and when you can wait.
So let's talk about some of the symptoms that would make it more likely to have strep throat.
Strep will oftentimes present with symptoms such as:
A Sore throat that comes on fairly quickly, Pain when swallowing,
Fever, Red and swollen tonsils, sometimes with white
patches or streaks of pus, Tiny, red spots on the roof of the mouth, Swollen lymph nodes
in the front of the neck.
Other symptoms may include a headache, stomach pain, nausea, or vomiting Someone with strep
throat may also have a rash known as scarlet fever.
So those are the symptoms that you are more likely to have if you have strep.
You don't need to have all of them for certain but they are the most common ones to look
for.
Now what I'm going to go over now is key to helping you distinguish when its more likely
you have strep and when its more likely that it is being caused by a virus.
If you have a sore throat and you also have symptom such as
Cough, Congestion, Runny nose, hoarseness, Conjunctivitis or what most call pink eye
Then it is more likely to be caused by a virus and there isn't going to be much treatment
that your doctor is going to be able to offer that will get rid of it for you.
If you have any of these symptoms then it is almost certain that you are not going to
have strep.
So what are you supposed to do with this information?
Well, quite simply, if you find your self with a sore throat and you have a fever, white
stuff on your throat and tender painful lymph nodes on your neck and you don't have a cough
or congestion or other symptoms like that, then you need to get to your doctor because
chances are that you have strep.
You are more likely to require treatment from your doctor with an antibiotic to prevent
the complications that we talked about before.
It's that simple.
On the flip side if you have a bad sore throat but you are coughing and congested then its
almost certain a virus and you can treat it like you would a normal cold.
Most importantly you more than likely do not need to go in and be seen right away.
Now I've focused mostly on strep versus a cold virus type symptoms because those are
the most common.
However there are other reasons that you would want to be seen when it comes to a sore throat.
These would be if you have a: A sore throat that is severe or lasts longer
than a week, Difficulty swallowing, Difficulty breathing, Difficulty, opening your mouth,
Joint pain associated with a sore throat, Severe Earache, Rash, Fever higher than 101
F (38.3 C), Blood in your saliva or phlegm, Frequently recurring sore throats, A lump
in your neck, Hoarseness lasting more than two weeks, Swelling in your neck or face.
If you notice any of these then get into your doctor and have him take a look at it.
Now all these recommendations are broad recommendations and may not apply to your specific case so
make sure if you have doubts or questions to talk to your own doctor and get their advice.
But in the majority of times if you follow these simple steps you can avoid unnecessary
trips to the doctors office.
Antibiotics are inappropriate for the majority of sore throats however, when it comes to
strep The quickest and most proven treatment that helps you avoid complications is being
treated by an antibiotic.
So if you have symptoms that are more likely strep then get in and get tested.
It is possible that you can clear it on your own but you are putting yourself at risk so
its better that you do so under the care and recommendations of a doctor.
If it turns out that you don't have strep click right on this video to learn about some
steps that you can do at home to treat your sore throat.
And click here to learn some things that you can do to prevent getting sick in the first
place.
So until next time this is FamilyMed with Dr Richardson.
And remember don't forget to take care of your body because it's the only one you have.