Strep Throat Specialist

What is strep throat?

Strep throat is a condition common in children that results when group A Streptococcus bacteria enter the mouth and cause inflammation and pain in the throat.

A strep throat infection is contagious and often spreads from person to person when an infected person coughs or sneezes.

What are the symptoms of strep throat?

If your child has strep throat, their symptoms can range from mild to severe. Generally, the earliest sign of strep is persistent throat pain that isn’t relieved with over-the-counter medications.

Other common symptoms of strep throat include:

• Chills
• Headache
• Sudden fever
• Loss of appetite
• Swollen lymph nodes in the neck
  
  

A telltale sign that throat pain is caused by strep throat is the appearance of visible white patches on the back of the throat. As inflammation and pain worsens, your child may also struggle to swallow liquids and foods.

How is strep throat diagnosed?

During your appointment, your child’s Old Fourth Ward Pediatrics provider visually examines their throat and manually checks for swelling around the neck. The pediatrician also reviews your child’s symptoms and medical history.

To quickly determine if your child’s symptoms relate to strep throat, the team offers on-site medical lab testing and uses a rapid strep test to confirm the infection. This test involves the collection of cells from the back of the throat with a soft cotton swab. Your pediatrician sends the cell sample to the on-site medical lab for evaluation.

Once your pediatrician confirms strep, they create a treatment plan. The goal of treating strep throat is to quickly ease the pain and inflammation in your child’s throat and stop the infection from spreading to others.

How is strep throat treated?

Since strep throat is the result of a bacterial infection, your Old Fourth Ward Pediatrics provider prescribes a course of antibiotics to clear the infection. It’s very important that your child takes all of the prescribed medication or the infection can return.

To keep your child comfortable and treat an existing fever, you can use over-the-counter medications. Your child may need to follow a soft diet for a few days until their throat pain resolves and should drink plenty of water to stay hydrated.

Your pediatric specialist can discuss how long your child should stay home from school and other social situations to prevent the spread of the infection to others.

If you suspect your child has strep throat, don’t delay seeking a diagnostic evaluation from the pediatric team at Old Fourth Ward Pediatrics. You can schedule a same-day appointment by calling the office or by requesting an appointment online now.