Causes Of Strep Throat
The causes of strep throat mean less to those suffering with the painful infection than the treatment, but it is important to understand both. Strep throat is caused by bacteria that are transmitted between people.
After you come in contact with the stress virus, you will not feel ill for a few days. During that time, however, you are still able to pass the illness on to other people. That is why it is always important to use safe practices, such as sneezing into your elbow, frequently washing your hands and cleaning surfaces, such as telephones, with germ killing products.
Because the causes of strep throat involve contact with people, there is no way to reduce your risk of getting strep throat other than reducing contact with people. Of course, this is not realistic, so the best thing that you can do is follow the above safe practices and encourage those around you to do the same.
Some people think every sore throat is due to strep throat, but this isn’t the case. In fact, any sore throat that is accompanied by a runny nose or sneezing is probably not going to turn out to be strep throat. So when should you be concerned that you might be suffering from strep throat?
Here are some symptoms to look out for.
A sore throat that is severe and comes on without warning
A sore throat that is made more painful when you swallow
Swelling in the lymph nodes
Sore throat accompanied by a fever
Sore throat accompanied by a headache
White patches visible on the back of the throat
While strep throat will go away on its own within a week, there are still good reasons to take antibiotics. First, it stops the strep from spreading to other parts of your body. While rare, this can cause serious complications.
Secondly, when you take antibiotics, it will shorten the amount of time that you are contagious. You will no longer be contagious within a day or two of beginning a course of antibiotics. That is compared to the two to three weeks it could take without the antibiotics. Even though you’ll be well again, you will still be able to infect others.
If you suspect strep it is always important to seek a doctor’s advice. The possible complications – although rare – make seeing a doctor very important, especially in high risk groups.
Strep throat, while difficult to prevent, is painful but does usually resolve within a week. Still, as mentioned earlier, it is important to seek medical attention for strep throat. Also, to prevent the spread of the illness, you should be sure to stay home and, as much as possible, away from other people during the time that you are contagious.
There is certainly no reason to panic if you suspect strep throat. Just visit your doctor and then follow the course of antibiotics that is prescribed. You’ll be back to your old self again within a few days, and will not have to worry about being one of the causes of strep throat to someone else.