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Michigan Hypertension Center Personal Adult Care with Academic Excellence |
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"Strep throat" is due to Group A beta Streptococcus. It is highly contagious and develops in the community in epidemics. It is common in the winter months and often is first detected in the schools in children. Strep throat usually presents with a sore throat, fever, achy muscles, and headaches. Some people have white patches in their throat, although this does not necessarily mean that they have strep throat. Other symptoms may lessen the chance that the person has strep throat. Examples are: laryngitis (hoarse voice), cough, runny nose make it very unlikely that strep throat is the cause of the illness. Often, a quick swab of the back of the throat is performed in the office and the results are available within minutes. It is accurate approximately 85% of the time, but when the results are combined with the symptoms and known existence of strep in the community the accuracy greatly increases. The absolute accurate test is a culture for strep and the results are usually available within 24-48 hours. Up to 10% of healthy people have Group A beta Streptococcus in their throats at any time and these people are called carriers. These people should not be treated with antibiotics, as it does not help the individuals nor does it prevent the development of strep throat in the community. Strep throat is easily treated with penicillin, erythromycin, and other antibiotics. A single shot of penicillin replaces 7-10 days of oral antibiotics in individuals who are not allergic to penicillin. |
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Chelsea Internal Medicine