7 Signs You Could Have Strep Throat
What is strep throat?
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Sore throat
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Swollen lymph nodes
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Fever
Another classic symptom of strep throat is afever. It’s one among “a constellation of symptoms physicians have traditionally been trained to look for that are more indicative of strep throat,” explains Dr. Rupp.
The presence of a fever can help differentiate strep from asore throatcaused by a cold, which usually doesn’t cause an elevated temperature. “We look for the absence of symptoms that are more indicative of a viral upper respiratory infection, like cough and nasal congestion,” he says.
Although symptoms can be different, strep is spread much the same way as colds and other respiratory infections: through droplets expelled by sneezing or coughing. If you come in contact with those droplets, you might pick up the bug. As with colds and the flu, washing your hands and avoiding touching your face are good ways to prevent the spread of strep.
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Swollen tonsils
Tonsils are actually lymph nodes in the back of the mouth and they, too, become enlarged with strep throat.
The larger size of the tonsils should be obvious when you look at the back of your throat. “Open your mouth wide and shine a light directly in or bounce it off a mirror,” says Dr. Rupp. The tonsils may also look red or have white patches or streaks.
You can still get strep even if you don’t have tonsils, though it’s not as common.
If someone is getting strep frequently, doctors often recommend having the tonsils removed. “It probably means bacteria are just hanging out in the tonsils,” Dr. Prussin says. If you’ve had three bouts of strep a year for the last three years, five infections a year for the last two years, or a whopping seven infections in the past year, you might be a good candidate for the surgery, he says, although those guidelines can be adjusted person to person.
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Red spots or rash
A red rash, called petechiae, often appears toward the back of the roof of the mouth in people with strep throat. “When we see the spots on the roof of the mouth, we can say with a fairly high grade of confidence that we’re looking at strep,” says Dr. Grosso (although you still need a lab-confirmed diagnosis).
皮肤上的红疹也组造成的压力p bacteria is known as scarlet fever and can accompany strep throat. This is very different from the scarlet fever that was a leading cause of death among children in the 18th and 19th centuries. “That’s not the clinical behavior of the condition we see [now],” says Dr. Grosso. Scarlet fever related to strep throat is mild and should go away quickly with a course of antibiotics.
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Nausea and vomiting
Nauseaand vomiting as a result of strep throat aren’t all that common. If they do happen, it’s more often in younger children.
It’s more likely that nausea and vomiting are a result of a viral infection, says Philip G. Chen, MD, assistant professor and program director of rhinology in the otolaryngology-head and neck surgery department at the University of Texas Health Science Center, not a bacterial infection like strep.
However, everyone’s experience with strep throat is slightly different. The chemicals your body creates as the immune system ramps up to fight an infection can lead to a number of symptoms, including fatigue, nausea, vomiting, fever, and more, Dr. Chen says. “Talk to your physician about your specific symptoms.”
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