Many things can cause the unpleasant and sometimes painful condition of a sore throat. Viruses, bacteria, allergens, and environmental irritants like cigarette smoke can cause a sore throat.
Most cases of a sore throat can be treated with over the counter medicine and home remedies, but other throat infections, like strep throat, require antibiotic treatment.
Strep throat is a contagious infection in the throat and tonsils area caused by group A Streptocccusbacteria. While strep throat is a common type of sore throat in children, anyone in close contact with the infected person is susceptible to catching it. The bacteria live in a person’s nose or throat without causing any illness, but an infected person can spread the virus by breathing, coughing, or sneezing, releasing droplets of the virus into the air and on surfaces.
Sharing household items such as eating utensils, cups, towels, and bedding exposes you to the strep throat. Your risk also increases by touching doorknobs and handles that have traces of the droplets and immediately touching areas of your face such as your eyes, nose, or mouth.
It can take a few days for an individual to have noticeable symptoms of strep throat, but the most common symptoms include a sore or dry throat, swollen tonsils, hoarseness or loss of voice, upset stomach, high fever, and white or yellow spots on the back of a bright red throat.
If you’ve been experiencing severe symptoms of a sore throat and you think it could be strep throat, don’t hesitate to visit Centennial Medical Group! Our healthcare professionals can test for strep by taking samples to see if group A strep bacteria is the cause of your sore throat.
If your results show that you have strep throat, we can provide you with antibiotics that will help reduce your symptoms and help prevent the spread of infection to others. Those who have strep throat should do their best to finish their antibiotics prescription, take to bed rest, and practice good hygiene like washing their hands often and sanitizing hard surfaces.
For more information on the services we provide, please call to speak with one of our medical professionals at 410-730-3399.