How do you know if you have strep throat?
Symptoms of strep throat usually come on rapidly and include throat pain, difficulty swallowing and swollen tonsils.
Other strep throat symptoms include fever, headache, tender lymph nodes in your neck, body aches, and nausea or vomiting (especially in young children).
Visible symptoms of strep throat may include red or white spots on your tonsils or in the back of your mouth.
It’s possible to have strep throat without having symptoms like a sore throat or fever. Even without symptoms you are still very capable of spreading the bacteria that causes strep throat (Streptococcus A) to others.
Can you still get strep throat if you don’t have tonsils?
Yes, it is possible to get strep throat without tonsils. Getting your tonsils removed may make your symptoms less severe or infection less frequent, however, no one is completely immune to strep throat.
Why should you go to urgent care for strep throat?
Strep throat is highly contagious. Urgent care can provide a rapid strep test which can reveal the presence of strep bacteria within minutes.
If the rapid test is negative, a clinician may order a throat culture based on your symptoms and other criteria. Throat cultures are more accurate, but it typically takes 2-4 days to receive the results since they’re sent to a lab.
Visit your nearest urgent care right away if you’re experiencing symptoms, or if you’ve been around someone who is sick.
I tested negative for strep. What else could it be?
If you test negative for strep throat, your sore throat might be a sign of something else. Many of the symptoms associated with strep throat are similar to other illnesses, including:
- Influenza (flu)
- Mononucleosis (mono)
- COVID-19
Do you need antibiotics for strep throat?
Yes. Since strep throat is a bacterial infection, antibiotics are the appropriate treatment. When taking antibiotics to treat strep throat, you should start feeling better and be less contagious in just a day or two. You should always take the full 10-day course of your prescribed antibiotic, even if symptoms disappear sooner. This is essential to fully eliminate the bacteria and help prevent future complications.
What happens if strep throat goes untreated?
Without antibiotics, the symptoms of strep throat will eventually go away, but you’ll likely have worse symptoms and stay contagious longer. The bacteria that cause strep throat are easily spread via respiratory droplets when you talk, laugh, cough, or sneeze. Without antibiotic treatment, you could be contagious for 2-3 weeks or more.
The most serious complications of untreated or partially treated strep include kidney inflammation or rheumatic fever (an autoimmune response where fighting strep bacteria causes the body to attack its own healthy tissues including the heart, joints, brain, and skin).
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