Strep Throat Symptoms In Children

strep throat symptoms in children

Strep throat, or also known as streptococcal pharyngitis, is a bacterial infection of throat that is most common in children between age 5 and 15. It is very contagious, spread by person to person contact with saliva or nasal secretions. It easily spreads among family members. 

Strep throat symptoms in children

Strep throat symptoms may be both mild and severe. Children looks unhealthy about 2 to 4 days after having contact with the infectious matter that contains streptococcal bacteria. In most cases, symptoms begin suddenly, and include:

• Fever, begins with slightly fever and become highest on day 2-3. Followed by chills.
• Difficulty and pain in swallowing
• Red throat, with white patches (sometimes confusing with dyphteria)
• Headache
• Nausea, appetite loss, vomiting
• Swollen lymph in the neck
• Rash. Some strain of streptococcal pharyngitis can lead to a scarlet fever-like rash. It is an allergic reaction to the bacterial toxins.

Your child may have those symptoms but actually he don't have strep throat. It may caused by viral infection and self limiting. Please consult your pediatrician to have a specific test of strep throat. In the other hand, it is also possible that your children have the bacteria but not having strep throat, because they are carriers of strep, which means that those children can spread strep to others but the bacteria are not now not making them sick.

Strep throat treatment

• The causative therapy is antibiotics. The goal of antibiotics is to reduce the duration and the severity of the symptoms, as well as likelihood that the strep throat will spread to family members or school mates. The doctor may prescribe an oral antibiotics such as:
• Amoxicillin. It is a penicilline derivative. Available in chewable tablet and syrup.
• Cefadroxil, cephalexin, or other cephalosporin derivative.
• Erythromycin
• Azythromycin
• Penicillin, for severe cases. The children should be hospitalized because it is given by injection. 
• Symptomatic therapy:
• Paracetamol syrup (follow the usage directions because it is harmful for the liver)
• Ibuprofen syrup
• Do not give aspirin because it has possibility to develop Reye syndrome.
• Give warm drink and soft foods such as porridge.