{"id":3196,"date":"2023-12-15T14:51:19","date_gmt":"2023-12-15T19:51:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/augustaent.com\/?p=3196"},"modified":"2023-12-15T14:51:20","modified_gmt":"2023-12-15T19:51:20","slug":"tips-for-practicing-good-strep-throat-care","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/augustaent.com\/tips-for-practicing-good-strep-throat-care\/","title":{"rendered":"Tips for Practicing Good Strep Throat Care"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Nearly everyone is familiar with the concept of a sore throat. A persistent cough, singing at the top of your lungs during a concert at Miller Theater and several viruses and bacterial infections can leave you with a sore and scratchy throat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Strep throat is one such bacterial infection that can leave you with a <a href=\"https:\/\/augustaent.com\/ent\/throat\/sore-throat\/\">severe sore throat<\/a>. Approximately <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/groupastrep\/diseases-public\/strep-throat.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">three in 10 children and one in 10 adults<\/a> with a sore throat have strep throat. In addition to a sore throat, those with strep throat may experience difficulty swallowing, swollen tonsils, fever, headache and fatigue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How Is Strep Throat Diagnosed?<\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1254\" height=\"836\" src=\"https:\/\/augustaent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Man-squeezing-lemon-into-a-glass-of-water.jpg\" alt=\"Man squeezing lemon into a glass of water.\" class=\"wp-image-3199\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.5;width:435px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/augustaent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Man-squeezing-lemon-into-a-glass-of-water.jpg 1254w, https:\/\/augustaent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Man-squeezing-lemon-into-a-glass-of-water-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/augustaent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Man-squeezing-lemon-into-a-glass-of-water-256x171.jpg 256w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1254px) 100vw, 1254px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>To diagnose strep throat, your ENT specialist will conduct a physical exam and order one or more of the following tests:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Throat culture<\/strong>. Your ENT specialist will rub a sterile swab over the back of the throat and tonsils. The sample is then cultured in a lab to detect the presence of the bacteria causing strep A (group A streptococcus).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Rapid antigen test<\/strong>. With a rapid antigen test, your ENT specialist will swab the back of your throat and test it for antigens. The results of an antigen test should be back within a few minutes.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Molecular test<\/strong>. Molecular tests use a swab to detect genetic material from group A strep bacteria. &nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">When Should You Seek Medical Attention?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Medical treatment is vital for strep throat. Prompt medical attention helps prevent complications, ensures a speedy recovery and helps prevent the spread of the bacteria. If left untreated, strep throat bacteria (group A streptococcus) can cause complications like <a href=\"https:\/\/my.clevelandclinic.org\/health\/diseases\/4602-strep-throat\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">ear or sinus infections, abscesses, scarlet fever, invasive streptococcal infection and rheumatic fever<\/a>. To prevent spreading or complications, make an appointment with an ENT specialist as soon as you recognize symptoms or after exposure to the bacteria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Your ENT specialist will likely prescribe antibiotics to eliminate the infection. Complete the entire course of antibiotics as prescribed, even if symptoms improve, to prevent the spread of bacteria throughout the body.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How Can You Manage Discomfort?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In addition to medical treatment, home remedies can alleviate discomfort and <a href=\"https:\/\/augustaent.com\/ent\/throat\/hoarseness\/\">hoarseness<\/a>, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>Rest and eat a healthy diet. Rest, hydration and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.health.harvard.edu\/topics\/nutrition\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">good nutrition<\/a> are essential for healing and soothing the throat.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Take over-the-counter pain relievers like ibuprofen or acetaminophen to help relieve pain and reduce fever.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Warm saltwater gargles and herbal teas mixed with honey to provide temporary relief.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How Can You Prevent the Spread of Strep Throat?&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Preventing the spread of strep throat reduces the risk of infection. A few ways to prevent the spread of strep throat include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>Practice good hand hygiene by regularly washing hands with soap and water. Cover the mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing to prevent the spread of bacteria.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Avoid close contact with individuals who have confirmed or suspected strep throat infections. Seek medical attention as soon as you notice symptoms.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>At <span class=\"company-name \">Augusta &#8211; Aiken ENT &amp; Allergy<\/span>, our specialists provide reliable strep throat treatment. Contact us today to schedule an appointment for a speedy recovery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><ul class=\"related-posts\"><li><a href=\"https:\/\/augustaent.com\/causes-of-rapid-hearing-loss\/\" class=\"related-post\">Causes of Rapid Hearing Loss<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/augustaent.com\/how-cleaning-hearing-aids-prevents-infection\/\" class=\"related-post\">How Cleaning Hearing Aids Prevents Infection<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/augustaent.com\/what-is-microtia-and-atresia\/\" class=\"related-post\">What Is Microtia and Atresia<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Nearly everyone is familiar with the concept of a sore throat. A persistent cough, singing at the top of your lungs during a concert at Miller Theater and several viruses and bacterial infections can leave you with a sore and scratchy throat. Strep throat is one such bacterial infection that can leave you with a&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3199,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","schema":"","fname":"","lname":"","position":"","credentials":"","placeID":"","no_match":false,"name":"","company":"","review":"","address":"","city":"","state":"","zip":"","lat":"","lng":"","phone1":"","phone2":"","fax":"","mon1":"","mon2":"","tue1":"","tue2":"","wed1":"","wed2":"","thu1":"","thu2":"","fri1":"","fri2":"","sat1":"","sat2":"","sun1":"","sun2":"","hours-note":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/augustaent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3196"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/augustaent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/augustaent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/augustaent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/augustaent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3196"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/augustaent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3196\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3201,"href":"https:\/\/augustaent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3196\/revisions\/3201"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/augustaent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3199"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/augustaent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3196"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/augustaent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3196"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/augustaent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3196"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}