Not getting treatment for strep throat or not taking all the medicine prescribed can lead to rheumatic fever. The symptoms rarely last longer than five days. The symptoms of strep throat may go away as soon as 24 hours after you start treatment. How long will the effects of strep throat last? Strep needs to be treated so you can prevent the serious problems it might cause, such as heart and kidney disease. It is very important to take all of the prescribed medicine, even after the symptoms have gone away, to prevent the infection from coming back. This medicine may be taken as pills or given as a shot. If your health-care provider suspects you have strep, he or she may prescribe an antibiotic before you have all the results from the lab tests. The results will be available in a few minutes if the rapid antibody test is done, or in one to two days if the overnight culture test is used. Your provider will rub a cotton swab against a tonsil in the back of your throat to get a sample of bacteria. Your health-care provider will ask about your symptoms and examine your throat.
Viral pharyngitis often goes away in five to seven days. How long will the effects of a sore throat last? For chronic pharyngitis, your provider will look for other causes.
For acute pharyngitis caused by bacteria, your health-care provider may prescribe an antibiotic. Antibiotic medicine does not cure viral pharyngitis. The throat most often gets better on its own within five to seven days. Usually, no specific medical treatment is needed if a virus is causing the sore throat. Some providers have a rapid strep test they can do in the office and get results in a few minutes.
Your provider may swab your throat to test for strep infection. Just by looking at your throat, it is often hard for your health-care provider to decide whether a virus or bacteria is causing your sore throat. Your provider also will examine you for signs of other illness, such as sinus, chest, or ear infections. Earache (you may feel pain in your ears even though the problem is in your throat).A raw feeling in the throat that makes breathing, swallowing and speaking painful.Swallowing sharp foods that hurt the lining of the throat, such as a tortilla chip.Breathing heavily polluted air or chemical fumes.
It occurs when a respiratory, sinus, or mouth infection spreads to the throat. A sore throat that lasts for a long time is called chronic pharyngitis. A sore throat may be the first symptom of a mild illness, such as a cold or the flu, or of more severe illnesses, such as mononucleosis, strep throat or scarlet fever.Ī sore throat that comes on suddenly is called acute pharyngitis. The pharynx is the area behind the tonsils. Sore throat is caused by inflammation of the throat (pharynx). Pharyngitis is the medical term for sore throat. Sore throat is a common symptom that ranges in severity from just a sense of scratchiness to severe pain. Published Friday, MaWhat is a sore throat? Strep throat Which one do you have, and what should you do about it?