Strep infections can be mild, causing nothing more than a minor skin infection or sore throat. On the other hand, they can cause severe strep throat , scarlet fever , and other illnesses.
Strep is found inside the throat and on the surface of the skin. You contract it when an infected person coughs or sneezes and you breathe in the droplets or touch contaminated surfaces, and then touch your face. Most people with a strep infection make a full recovery.
However, some children develop sudden physical and psychiatric symptoms a few weeks after infection. Once they start, these symptoms tend to rapidly get worse. They include behaviors similar to obsessive-compulsive disorder OCD and Tourette syndrome.
These symptoms can interfere with schooling and quickly become debilitating. Symptoms worsen and reach their peak usually within two to three days, unlike other childhood psychiatric illnesses that develop more gradually. One theory proposes that it may be due to a faulty immune response to strep infection. Strep bacteria are particularly good at hiding from the immune system. They mask themselves with molecules that look similar to normal molecules found in the body. The immune system eventually catches on to the strep bacteria and begins producing antibodies.
However, the disguise continues to confuse the antibodies. Antibodies targeting a particular area of the brain, the basal ganglia, may cause the neuropsychiatric symptoms of PANDAS. To help prevent strep infection, teach your child not to share eating utensils or drinking glasses, and to wash their hands often.
They should also avoid touching their eyes and face whenever possible. If your child is showing unusual symptoms after an infection of any kind, make an appointment with your pediatrician right away. Bring this information, along with a list of any prescription or over-the-counter medications your child takes or has recently taken, when you visit the doctor. Be sure to report any infections or illnesses that have been going around at school or home. To diagnose a strep infection, your pediatrician may take a throat culture or run a blood test.
Instead, your doctor may want to perform a variety of blood and urine tests to rule out some other childhood ailments. The criteria for diagnosis are:. To start, your pediatrician will focus on making sure the strep infection is completely gone. Strep infections are treated with antibiotics. They can also determine if a patient recently had a group A strep infection.
People with PSGN who may still have group A strep in their throat are often provided antibiotics, preferably penicillin. Most people who develop PSGN recover within a few weeks without any complications. While rare, long-term kidney damage, including kidney failure, can occur.
These rare complications are more common in adults than children. The main way to prevent PSGN is to prevent group A strep infections like strep throat, scarlet fever, and impetigo. Getting a group A strep infection does not protect someone from getting it again in the future. There are no vaccines to prevent group A strep. However, there are things people can do to protect themselves and others. The best way to keep from getting or spreading group A strep is to wash your hands often.
This is especially important after coughing or sneezing and before preparing foods or eating. To practice good hygiene, you should:. You should also wash glasses, utensils, and plates after someone who is sick uses them.
These items are safe for others to use once washed. Doctors can use other antibiotics to treat strep throat in people who are allergic to penicillin. They are less likely to spread the bacteria to others and very unlikely to get complications. If a carrier gets a sore throat illness caused by a virus, the rapid strep test can be positive. In these cases it can be hard to know what is causing the sore throat.
If someone keeps getting a sore throat after taking the right antibiotics, they may be a strep carrier and have a viral throat infection. Talk to a doctor if you think you or your child may be a strep carrier.
Complications can occur after a strep throat infection. This can happen if the bacteria spread to other parts of the body. Complications can include:. People can get strep throat more than once. Having strep throat does not protect someone from getting it again in the future. While there is no vaccine to prevent strep throat, there are things people can do to protect themselves and others.
The best way to keep from getting or spreading group A strep is to wash your hands often. This is especially important after coughing or sneezing and before preparing foods or eating. To practice good hygiene, you should:. You should also wash glasses, utensils, and plates after someone who is sick uses them. These items are safe for others to use once washed. Take the prescription exactly as the doctor says to.
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Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Syndicate. Minus Related Pages. On This Page. The most common symptoms of strep throat include: Sore throat that can start very quickly Pain when swallowing Fever Red and swollen tonsils, sometimes with white patches or streaks of pus Tiny, red spots petechiae — pronounced pi-TEE-kee-eye on the roof of the mouth the soft or hard palate Swollen lymph nodes in the front of the neck Other symptoms may include a headache, stomach pain, nausea, or vomiting — especially in children.
The following symptoms suggest a virus is the cause of the illness instead of strep throat: Cough Runny nose Hoarseness changes in your voice that makes it sound breathy, raspy, or strained Conjunctivitis also called pink eye It usually takes two to five days for someone exposed to group A strep to become ill. Children and Certain Adults Are at Increased Risk Anyone can get strep throat, but there are some factors that can increase the risk of getting this common infection.
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