A sore throat can be painful. However, a sore throat does not automatically mean you have strep throat. In fact, most sore throats are caused by viruses, which go away on their own. Strep throat, on the other hand, is an infection caused by the bacteria Group A Streptococci. Strep throat can be serious and requires treatment with antibiotics. However, with the appropriate treatment, you can get over strep throat quickly.
EditSteps
EditTreating Strep Throat
- Recognize the symptoms of strep throat. A sore throat alone can have a variety of causes, many viral (such as a common cold). Your immune system can handle these infections alone over several days or a week without help from a doctor. Other symptoms besides just throat pain that can point to a strep throat infection include:[1][2]
- Fever—101°F (38.3°C) or above
- Swollen lymph nodes in your neck
- Fatigue
- Rash
- Headache
- Nausea or vomiting
- Red or inflamed tonsils with white patches
- See your doctor. Treating strep throat is easy, but it does require a prescription from your doctor. If you believe that you have strep throat based on the above criteria, then you should make an appointment to see your doctor. Ignoring strep throat may lead to severe complications from the spread of the infection, including:[3]
- Scarlet fever
- Kidney disease
- Rheumatic fever, which can affect your heart, joints, and nervous system
- Submit to any diagnostic testing. Your doctor will look down your throat and feel the lymph nodes in your neck as part of a physical examination. He or she may also ask you to submit to another, more concrete form of testing to confirm strep throat as the diagnosis.
- The fastest test your doctor can use is a rapid antigen test, which requires a swab of your throat. Though the test can provide an answer in minutes, it’s not the most reliable method.[4] If the test comes back negative for strep throat, then your doctor may still order the next test.
- A throat culture will also use a sterile swab of your throat, but the swab will be sent to a lab for a day or two as a culture to see if more strep bacteria grow from the sample in that time.[5]
- Begin your course of antibiotics. If your diagnostic testing confirms that you have strep throat, then your doctor will write you a prescription for a course of antibiotics that will kill the strep bacteria. The duration of the prescription will vary based on the antibiotic prescribed (but ten days is common). Common antibiotics prescribed for strep throat include penicillin and amoxicillin.[6]
- If you’ve also been vomiting due to your illness, then your doctor can give you an antibiotic via injection.[7] You may then take an anti-nausea medication along with a regular course of antibiotics.
- If you’re allergic to common antibiotics, then your doctor can prescribe other options, such as cephalexin (Keflex), clarithromycin (Biaxin), azithromycin (Zithromax), or clindamycin.[8]
- Take the complete prescription of antibiotics. Your symptoms may start to improve within a day or two of beginning your course of antibiotics, but it’s important to take the entire prescription until it’s gone. By stopping the course of antibiotics before you have finished it, you run a higher risk of recurrence of the infection, and it can also help to breed antibiotic-resistant strains of the strep bacteria.[9]
- Ensure that you follow all other directions that accompany your antibiotic, including whether or not to take the drug on am empty stomach, avoiding alcohol, and the time interval between doses.[10]
- Though you’re still taking the antibiotics, you can return to school or work without risk of infecting others after you’ve been on the antibiotics for a full twenty-four hours.[11][12]
EditSoothing Strep Throat Discomfort
- Take an over-the-counter (OTC) pain reliever. While waiting for your lab culture to confirm your diagnosis (or even while waiting for your antibiotics to reduce symptoms), you can take other steps to soothe strep throat pain. OTC pain medications can relieve throat discomfort and reduce fever associated with your strep throat as well. Common OTC options include ibuprofen (Advil) and acetaminophen (Tylenol).[13]
- Avoid the use of aspirin in children under the age of eighteen due to the risk of Reye syndrome—a potentially life-threatening condition that can lead to seizures, coma, or brain damage.[14]
- Gargle a mix of warm salt water. Warm eight ounces of water and then stir in a quarter teaspoon of plain table salt. Gargle the mix at the back of your throat for one minute and then spit it out.[15] This can help relieve throat pain, and it is safe to do several times a day as needed.
- This option is also safe for younger children. However, ensure the child is old enough to properly gargle the solution without choking or swallowing the salt water.[16]
- Get some sleep. Sleeping gives your immune system time and resources to fight the bacteria with the help of the antibiotics.[17] Aim to sleep an extra four to five hours during the day in addition to a full eight hours at night. Cover up with blankets and try not to have any drafts or overhead fans on, as these can cause postnasal drip, worsening your sore throat.
- Drink plenty of liquids. In addition to preventing dehydration, drinking plenty of water will also keep your throat moist, which will ease the pain associated with swallowing.[18]
- Current recommendations vary between men and women. On average, men should try to drink around thirteen cups (three liters) each day, and women should aim to drink nine cups (2.2 liters) each day.[19]
- Some people find warm liquids more soothing whereas others prefer cold. If warm liquids are soothing, you can try warm broth or green tea with some honey. If you prefer cold liquids, you can even suck on a popsicle for some temporary relief.[20]
- Stick to soft foods. Rough shards of toast or other sharp foods will only irritate your throat further. During the worst of your sore throat symptoms, you’ll find it more soothing to stick to relatively soft foods. Yogurt, soft-cooked eggs, soups, etc. will all be much less abrasive to your throat.[21]
- In addition to avoiding dry, rough foods, you will also find it wise to avoid spicy foods or acidic options such as orange juice.[22]
- Probiotic yogurts containing active cultures are a good idea. Your antibiotics will target some of the healthy bacteria in your system as well, and these types of yogurt can help restore your system to normal more quickly.
- Consider using a humidifier. Along with drinking water, using a humidifier is another way to keep your throat moist to avoid painful swallowing.[23] This is an especially good option while you sleep at night and nap during the day to avoid waking up with more throat pain than necessary.
- Make sure that you clean the humidifier daily since the moist environment is perfect for breeding bacteria. Follow the manufacturer's instructions to clean the humidifier.
- If you don't have a vaporizer or humidifier, you can simply place several dishes of water in the room with you. As the water evaporates a bit at a time, it will naturally humidify the air.
- Suck on herbal cough drops or lozenges. These medicated lozenges can also help relieve sore throat pain. If it is your child who has strep throat, ensure that he or she is old enough not to choke on the lozenge.[24]
- Sprays containing similar ingredients as sore throat lozenges are also available.
- Reduce exposure to any throat irritants. Irritants such as air pollution and cigarette smoke can inflame your throat, leading to worsened sore throat symptoms.[25] If you smoke, then you should avoid smoking while you recover (and consider quitting altogether). Avoiding secondhand smoke will also help you to avoid making your throat hurt more than it already does.
EditPreventing the Spread of Strep Throat
- Wash your hands with soap and hot water often. Since strep throat is a bacterial infection, you risk not only infecting those around you but potentially reinfecting yourself after you’ve recovered, simply by having infected items around you. Most importantly, wash your hands often with warm, soapy water and lather them for at least twenty seconds.[26]
- For situations when you cannot wash your hands, consider keeping a bottle of alcohol-based hand sanitizer around. Ensure that the solution is at least 60 percent alcohol.
- If your do have to touch your mouth, such as when you floss your teeth, be sure to thoroughly wash your hands before and after.
- Replace your toothbrush. Once you’ve been on your antibiotic for at least twenty-four hours, you should replace your toothbrush since it’s come into contact with the strep bacteria in your mouth. If not, you risk reinfecting yourself once you’ve already cleared your infection.
- Wash items in hot, soapy water. Utensils, cups, and other items that have come into contact with your mouth should be washed in hot, soapy water to ensure that you kill the strep bacteria present on them.[27]
- This also includes pillowcases and sheets that have been close to your mouth while you were sick. Wash them with detergent on the hot setting of your washing machine.
- Cover your mouth when you sneeze or cough. If your sore throat has also led to coughing, then you should make sure you cover your mouth with your hands, sleeve, or a tissue to avoid potentially infecting those around you.[28] Make sure you wash your hands after as well.
- Do not share items. Along with cleaning them well, you should also avoid sharing items such as cups during the course of your illness.[29]
EditWarnings
- While this article offers information pertaining to strep throat, it should not be considered medical advice. Always consult your doctor if you believe you have contracted strep throat.
- Strep throat is highly contagious. Stay home from work or school until you’ve been on your antibiotics for at least twenty-four hours.
- Don't prepare food for other people or handle other people's food.
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