Strep throat represents an acute bacterial form of pharingitis that requires antibiotic treatment and is caused by group A beta-hemolytic streptococcus bacteria. There are also viral forms of acute pharingitis - the common throat sores, which may have the same symptoms of strep throat: difficulty to swallow, soreness, inflammation of the throat and discomfort. This similarity between their symptoms leads to confusion, in absence of accurate and proper investigation: although they are generated by different factors, strep throat can be taken for sore throat and the other way around. Usually sore throats don't need treatment, so there are cases in which the proper medication is not given to people that have strep throat because of diagnosis errors. The same errors may lead to the administering of strong antibiotics to patients that don't need them. So it is vital to have an accurate diagnosis in order to prevent such situations.
Cases of erroneous diagnosis have been recently investigated and the results were worrying: 50 % of the children that have strep throat are prescribed antibiotics they don't need while 33 % of the children with strep throat are not prescribed the necessary treatment (they either receive the wrong treatment or not receive medications at all). The persons to blame for that are the physicians and pediatricians, because there are very efficient methods to diagnose and distinguish viral from bacterial pharingitis, which makes their error unjustifiable.
Antibiotics are very effective when properly used but they may also cause strong side effects. in case of proper administration, these side effects may be: allergies, nausea, weakness of the immune system. When they are not needed but still prescribed, they have no positive effects; they may be damaging for the patient instead. In case a patient with strep throat receives other antibiotic prescription than one of the spectrum of amoxicillin, penicillin derivates, erythromycin or cephalosporins, or if the doses are not correct, side effects may appear. One of the risks of such situation is that of bacterial resistance to the treatment. Inappropriate treatment induces the person the tendency to have lower response to future antibiotics administration, which makes necessary for that person to take higher doses.
The available methods to obtain the exact diagnosis of strep throat are effective enough so that many erroneous diagnoses are not excusable.
One such method is the simple, but very effective and reliable pharyngeal exudate test, which consists in the culture of a secretion sample by means of a spatula rubbed against the walls of the throat. Laboratory tests will then be performed on the sample and will identify whether the infection is caused by viruses or bacteria. In case the streptococcus bacteria results to be the cause, antibiotics are prescribed in order to eradicate the infection.
Antibiotics are not recommended for viral infections of the throat. The pharyngeal exudate will thus help to avoid their needless prescription. It is a simple, rapid and inexpensive test so you should take it to make sure you receive the correct diagnosis and treatment.
Antibiotics For Strep Throat
In order to properly cure strep throat it is important that your diagnosis is given quickly and accurately, in order to avoid problems such as administration of the inappropriate medications and the apparition of complications that may be severe. To control strep throat, antibiotics are required most of the times, because they are efficient in the destruction of the bacteria and decrease the risk of acute rheumatic fever, kidney inflammation or coronary disease.
Strep throat and sore throat have similar symptoms, which may generate confusion and even erroneous diagnoses, improper treatments and the risk of complications. Strep throat is an acute infection of the pharynx caused by Group A hemolytic streptococcus bacteria, while sore throat represents the viral acute inflammation and infection of the pharynx.
To make a clear distinction between the viral and bacterial forms of acute pharyngitis implies more than physical examination. There are tests that help the doctors to give an accurate diagnosis of strep throat. The most efficient tests seem to be throat culture test and the antigen test.
The antigen test has the advantage of giving a quick result but it may have some inaccuracies. Even if it shows a negative result, pharyngeal exudate is also necessary for confirming. Both tests are needed in order to know exactly whether the cause of the throat infection is viral or bacterial. A new test, the optical immunoassay test (OIA) seems to be a very good alternative because it has results that are both accurate and quick. The American College of Physicians elaborated a series of guidelines that provide additional help to the doctors in the diagnosis of sore and the strep throat and also in the distinction between the two. The novelty brought by these guidelines is the connection they make between the strep throat and tonsilar exudates, tender anterior cervical adenopathy, fever and the total absence of cough. The above - mentioned guidelines are thought to be an effective replacement for antigen tests, optical immunoassay and pharyngeal exudates.
