Post-nasal drip is one of many reasons you might experience a sore throat. Many other things can cause it, however. About 33% of sore throats in children and 10% of those in adults are caused by a bacterial infection known as Group A Streptococcus, or strep throat for short. It’s one you shouldn’t ignore.
As the symptoms of a viral sore throat and strep can be so similar, it’s hard to tell when you should ride it out and when you should see a doctor. With fear of overmedicating and antibiotic resistance, it’s a valid concern, but it’s also important to know when a throat culture is necessary.
Everything You Need to Know About Group A Streptococcus
Viruses like the common cold are responsible for 85% to 95% of all sore throats in adults, 70% of all sore throats in children aged 5 to 15, and 95% of sore throats in children 4 or younger. Bacteria can also lead to a sore throat, and Group A Streptococcus is the most common bacterial cause.
When your sore throat is linked to a virus, you usually have “wet” symptoms like a runny nose, mucus-filled cough, and watery eyes. If other symptoms like those are present, you shouldn’t need a strep test.
Strep is different in that the pain is targeted to the lymph nodes and the back of the mouth. The pain is intense and starts suddenly, but a cough is uncommon. Other symptoms include:
- Difficulty swallowing
- Enlarged neck glands
- Headache (Less common)
- Nausea and vomiting (Less common)
- Small red spots on the roof of the mouth
- Stomach pain (Less common)
- Sudden high fever
- Swelling of the tonsils
- White patches or pus on the tonsils
If you have any of those other symptoms, go to urgent care for a strep test.
Why You Shouldn’t Risk It
Strep throat isn’t a disease to ignore. Even if you have a strong immune system and think it could fight the bacteria without antibiotics, there are serious complications that can occur.
- Abscesses – Pockets of pus build up around the tonsils or in the neck.
- Ear infections – Bacteria enter the ears and trigger painful infections.
- Post-streptococcal glomerulonephritis – The immune system moves from fighting the bacterial infection to the kidneys, causing blood in the urine, swollen eyes and ankles, fatigue, and high blood pressure.
- Rheumatic fever – The immune system shifts from fighting strep bacteria to attacking other tissues in the body, specifically the heart valves, which leads to heart disease. It’s a risk that affects more children than adults.
- Sinus infections – Bacteria travel into the sinuses and cause infections.
Strep is also extremely contagious. A person with strep is contagious until they have been on antibiotics for a minimum of 24 hours. Without testing and treatment, the disease can spread through close contact with others, which can be devastating for someone with a weakened immune system. Protecting vulnerable children and adults is the responsible thing to do.
What to Expect at the Doctor’s Office
When you see a doctor, the doctor will look at your throat. A tool known as the Centor Criteria helps a medical professional determine whether a rapid strep test or throat culture is necessary. The four areas considered in the Centor Criteria are:
- Are you coughing or not? (If not, that’s 1 point.)
- Are the nodes in the front of your neck under the jawline swollen? (If they are, that’s 1 point.)
- Do you have a fever of 100.4ºF or higher? (If so, that’s another 1 point.)
- Are your tonsils red or have streaks of pus or white spots? (If yes, that’s another 1 point.)
If your total score is 0 points or less, no test is needed. If you have 2 points, a test is usually recommended. If your score is 3 or 4 points, a strep test is essential.
Rapid Tests vs. Throat Cultures
Doctors have two options for tests.
- Rapid Antigen Test – Results are ready quickly, usually within 15 minutes. It’s not perfect, but if it gives a positive result, that’s almost always accurate. It may, however, give a false negative.
- Throat Culture – A throat culture is often recommended if the Rapid Antigen Test is negative, but you have symptoms. A swab from the back of your throat is taken and sent to a lab, where they try to grow bacteria for the next 24 to 48 hours. If the bacteria grow, you have a positive test result.
How to Ease Pain Until Your Appointment
You’re heading to urgent care soon, but how do you ease the pain while you wait? We have a few tried-and-true methods.
- Cold and Hot Therapy – Depending on your experience, sip an iced beverage or have a popsicle to apply extreme cold to cool your throat and ease pain. If you find heat more effective, have a warm cup of herbal tea with honey or some broth.
- Increased Humidity – When you breathe, your throat has to counteract dry air by adding moisture. When your throat hurts, working harder only increases irritation. Add humidity to your rooms by leaving a door open while showering or by running a humidifier or vaporizer nearby.
- Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) – NSAIDs include ibuprofen and naproxen. Ibuprofen works best at easing the inflammation in the tonsils and throat.
- Numbing Sprays or Lozenges – Chloraseptic, Cepacol, or Vicks throat sprays or lozenges contain an over-the-counter medication that numbs the throat. It’s a temporary measure that helps ease pain.
- Salt Water Rinse – Mix a cup of warm water with a ½ teaspoon of table salt. Salt reduces the amount of moisture in tissue, easing the swelling. Repeat this every couple of hours.
Avoid Natural Remedies and Go to Urgent Care
We’ve all seen online articles that offer natural remedies for strep throat. It’s disheartening knowing the health risks that can occur if strep isn’t treated.
Before you go gargling with apple cider vinegar or a lemon-and-cayenne-pepper mixture, keep two things in mind. Your throat is already raw. The bacteria damage the cells, causing the top layer to fall away. Lemon and vinegar are acidic and will burn your throat even more than it already does.
Instead, mix warm water and honey. Sip that until you see a doctor at Premium Urgent Care. It’s not worth risking your heart or kidneys, especially when the test is quick and easy. Once you have a positive strep test, you’ll be prescribed antibiotics. After a day or two on those medications, the bacteria die, and you’ll start feeling better.
Any sore throat is concerning, but strep can lead to lasting complications if left untreated. Premium Urgent Care’s multiple locations provide strep throat care and throat cultures to determine if you have strep. With weekend and evening hours, check in online and get seen ASAP. You don’t have to wait until your regular doctor is available again.