While sore throats sometimes seem like a common childhood condition, not every incident is a harmless part of growing up. An infection caused by the group A streptococcus bacteria — commonly known as strep throat — has some potentially serious complications without medical intervention.
Dr 2 Kids, Smita Tandon MD recommends prompt treatment anytime you suspect strep throat. While adults can catch this infection, it’s most common for children between the ages of 5 and 15. Treatment is easy, and relief quickly follows.
Dr. Tandon and her team offer in-office swab testing to confirm a strep infection, so that your child isn’t prescribed unnecessary antibiotics. Here’s why you shouldn’t ignore strep throat symptoms.
The first step is recognizing the differences between strep throat and less serious sore throats. The biggest difference comes at the onset.
A sore throat related to a cold or flu tends to come on slowly. Your child may be feeling off for a day or two, their throat slowly gets sore, and they begin to show signs of respiratory infection.
Strep throat isn’t connected with respiratory illness. It’s a dominating sore throat that develops quickly. Swallowing can be more difficult with strep throat than with other types of sore throats.
Other symptoms include:
Younger children are more likely to experience nausea and vomiting.
Because the bacteria responsible for strep throat can produce other illnesses too, prompt treatment with antibiotics is important. Ignoring strep symptoms could lead to:
Strep throat spreads easily between people, transmitted through respiratory droplets caused by coughing, sneezing, or talking. Sharing personal items or touching people can also spread the strep bacteria.
It’s likely that a fully developed immune system prevents exposure to group A streptococcus from infecting the body. Adults may also have less exposure to people infected with strep bacteria.
Contact Dr 2 Kids, Smita Tandon MD at her Fountain Valley California office when you first suspect your child’s sore throat may be strep. Call or click to schedule a visit today.
