When people in Naples, Florida have symptoms like sore throat, tonsillitis, and a swollen neck, strep throat may be the culprit. Strep throat requires prompt diagnosis and treatment, and the team at ER QuickCare is ready to help, any day of the week — including weekends. The practice offers strep tests on-site and administers treatment that allows the fastest possible return to wellness.
Strep throat is an infection with symptoms like sore throat, tonsillitis, and a swollen neck indicating swollen lymph nodes. Other symptoms of strep throat may include:
Strep throat is diagnosed by a strep test, which can be administered on-site at ER QuickCare. The strep throat test takes just a few minutes. You simply tilt your head back and open your mouth wide to allow for a clean cotton swab to be swiped briefly around the tonsils and the back of the throat. This sample material is tested to see if it contains group A streptococcus bacteria, the most common bacteria in cases of strep throat. ER QuickCare has an on-site laboratory, so results are available almost immediately.
In most cases, people with strep throat are treated with antibiotics. Penicillin and amoxicillin are the most common antibiotics used in strep throat treatment today. These antibiotics target and kill the A streptococcus quickly. Although the course of antibiotics usually lasts around 10 days, most patients are out of pain after just a few days. However, it’s vital that patients continue the entire course of antibiotics precisely as prescribed. This ensures that all harmful bacteria are completely eradicated. In some cases, just one injection of penicillin may be sufficient to treat strep throat.
Seeking proper treatment for strep throat is important because it can grow worse if untreated. Significant health problems, including kidney inflammation and rheumatic fever can occur if strep throat isn’t treated.
Although patients of any age can develop strep throat, it’s most common in children and teenagers. Strep throat is very contagious, so anyone exposed to strep throat should be tested as soon as possible. The sooner that testing is done, the sooner effective treatment can start. If caught early, patients may be able to avoid the worst of the strep throat symptoms.