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Various bacteria and viruses can affect our throat making it very sore and painful. However, strep throat is an ailment of the throat caused by the bacteria Streptococcus pyogenes and this infection has the symptoms which are more severe that a viral throat infection.
Strep throat is a serious infection since, if is left without any treatment, it may lead to the occurrence of the kidney inflammation, as well as to the rheumatic fever, which further causes arthritis, rash and heart valves damages. Even throat it may appear in every one, the children from 5 to 15 are the most affected by the strep throat.
Strep throat incubation period
Even though the incubation period for this throat condition is different for every person, it can be said that it is generally about 3 days. The symptoms may appear either 2 days from the exposure to the bacteria or even after 8 days. Once a person starts to show the symptoms of the bacterial infection of the throat, this infection is contagious and it lasts about one day if the person does not take some prescribed antibiotic.
Symptoms of strep throat
The person who contracts the throat bacterial infection typically experience pain in the throat and have painful and difficult swallowing. The tonsils tend to become red and inflamed and sometimes even the pus forms on them. Swollen lymph nodes in the neck, small red spots on the hard palate and fever are also among the symptoms of the strep throat. Furthermore, this bacteria infection may also cause headaches, rash and stomachache, as well as fatigue and tiredness.
There are the cases where all these symptoms or some of them are present but the person is not sick by the strep throat. Therefore, a doctor is required and various diagnosing tests and tools. Furthermore, there are also the people who just carry the bacteria and pass it to the others without developing the strep throat.
Treatment for strep throat
Since this infection causes pain and is infectious, a professional help is recommended and needed. The bacteria cause it and for that reason the antibiotics are prescribed. Ibuprofen and paracetamol are the medicines which can be obtained over-the-counter and be very effective in relieving the symptoms of the strep throat. Drinking plenty of water, soup and sugary liquids are very good when the strep throat is in the question. Gargling the throat with the solution of water and salt is also highly recommended.
- www.cdc.gov/features/strepthroat/index.html
- www.cdc.gov/groupastrep/diseases-hcp/strep-throat.html
- Photo courtesy of James Heilman, MD by Wikimedia Commons: commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Strep_throat2010.JPG
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