What are strep throat symptoms?

Strep throat symptoms include pain and redness in the throat with difficulty swallowing. Strep throat may feel like the throat soreness commonly associated with the cold or flu, but other cold symptoms like congestion, runny nose or sneezing will not appear. The lymph nodes in the neck, under the jaw and along both sides of the neck may swell painfully. There may be white patches in the back of the throat, particularly on the tonsils.

Strep throat symptoms can also include a sudden high fever and headache. Other possible strep throat symptoms include neck pain, loss of appetite and a rash, which could indicate scarlet fever, another type of strep infection. A scarlet fever rash normally develops on the front of the torso and spreads quickly. The rash will be rough to the touch. Scarlet fever occurs almost exclusively in children, but it is possible to contract it as an adult. Other common strep throat symptoms for children include nausea, vomiting and stomach pains.

 

Find out more about strep throat symtoms on the National Institutes of Health Medline strep throat Web page.

These symptoms don't always indicate strep throat, however. Your doctor will need to test for the specific bacteria before making a diagnosis. There are two common ways to test for strep: Your doctor can either order a throat culture or conduct a rapid antigen test. During a throat culture test, a clean swab is rubbed against the back of the throat and tonsils to gather samples of bacteria (not a particularly pleasant experience for the patient). The sample is then cultured (grown in a controlled condition) and identified in a lab. Attaining culture results can take as long as two days. The rapid antigen test, on the other hand, uses the same gag-inducing swab procedure, but it eliminates the waiting period by detecting any foreign bacteria in the throat. Rapid tests are not as accurate as throat cultures, and many doctors choose to conduct both.

If you are diagnosed with strep throat, your doctor will prescribe antibiotics. Because strep throat is contagious, it is necessary to avoid contact with others for at least 24 hours after beginning a course of antibiotics. You can also reduce the risk of passing on the infection by washing your hands often. The antibiotics will start to relieve symptoms quickly, and you should feel much better in 24 to 48 hours. However, it's important to continue to take the entire course of antibiotics to prevent complications and avoid repeat infections. The symptoms of strep throat can be partially relieved by consuming fluids such as soup or drinks with lemon and honey.

 

For more information on strep throat, visit the Centers for Disease Control's strep throat Q&A page.