Strep Throat
Streptococcus bacteria causes strep throat
Strep throat is only one of many possible causes of throat infection and sore throat. While strep throat is most common in children and adolescents, it can affect people of all ages.
Strep throat is caused by the Streptococcus bacteria, and usually spread through contact with an infected person. Strep throat is frequently spread among members of families or between students and teachers in schools.
A common sore throat, on the other hand, can have many causes. The most common causes are infections of the throat, pharynx, tonsils, esophagus (the food pipe), or larynx (the top opening part of the windpipe). Bacteria, such as the one responsible for diphtheria, can also cause sore throats, as well as microorganisms like the yeast Candida. As a result, a “simple” sore throat, may not always be so simple!
A strep throat can closely mimic a viral sore throat (and vice versa). A throat culture is the gold standard for telling the difference. Treatment of strep throat with antibiotics may not always shorten the course of the disease, however, the antibiotics will kill the bacteria and cut down the risk of complications.
The complications can be serious, so it is crucial that the diagnosis of strep throat be made quickly. Among them are rheumatic fever with inflammation of the joints and heart valves, sometimes serious disease of the kidneys, and scarlet fever.
Symptoms of strep throat
Symptoms of strep throat can vary quite a bit depending on the person’s age.
- Infants primarily experience a thick, “colorful” (yellow or green) drainage from the nose and possibly a low-grade fever, with fussiness, irritability, and a decrease in appetite.
- Children aged 1 to 3 (“toddlers”) may complain of a sore throat, trouble swallowing, poor appetite, crankiness, and swollen glands (lymph nodes) beneath the jaws.
- Older children and adolescents generally look and feel awful. They can have high fevers, very painful throats, often severe difficulty swallowing, and pus, which can sometimes be seen covering the tonsils.
- Adults with strep throat may have milder symptoms, and in some cases the illness may be undetected. Symptoms vary; adults may also have severe pain and trouble swallowing.
