You or a family member comes down with a sore throat and fever. You don't want to run to the doctor for every minor illness—but untreated bacterial infections can cause serious complications. What should you do? Here are a couple of preliminary questions you can ask yourself before calling for an appointment:
Do you have cold or flu symptoms in addition to a sore throat—such as a running or stuffy nose and cough?
If the answer is yes, your sore throat is probably viral. The vast majority of sore throats—90 to 95%—are caused by viruses. Antibiotics won't help a viral throat infection but hot tea and acetaminophen can make you more comfortable while the virus runs its course.*
A sore throat that doesn't get better after a week to ten days may be caused by Mononucleosis—often called mono or "the kissing disease"—a viral disease that occurs most often in those aged 15 to 17. Neither antibiotic nor antiviral medications are effective against mono, but teens should drink plenty of liquids, get ample rest and avoid contact sports (to avoid rupturing the spleen, which is often swollen during mono outbreaks). Acetaminophen should be used as needed.*
Was the onset of your sore throat very sudden and is swallowing intensely painful?
If the answer is yes and you don't have cold or flu symptoms, you may have a strep throat caused by Streptococcus bacteria. Other strep symptoms include:
- Loss of appetite, nausea and/or vomiting
- Muscle aches and fever
- Swollen tonsils (white streaks may be visible)
- A fever higher than 101° or one that lasts longer than 48 hours
If you seek medical help, a physical exam and rapid strep test are typically performed. If the results of the rapid test are negative but your health provider thinks you look symptomatic, a throat culture that takes anywhere from 24 to 48 hours to develop may be recommended.
If either the rapid strep or throat culture comes back positive, you may be prescribed antibiotics to shorten the length of time you are contagious (without antibiotics, strep will be contagious for up to two weeks; with antibiotics you are no longer contagious after 24 to 48 hours). As with a viral sore throat, warm liquids and acetaminophen can ease your symptoms.*
Tonsillitis: Another Cause of Sore Throats
Tonsils are lumps of tissue located on either side of the back of the throat whose purpose is to help fight infections, but occasionally become infected themselves by either bacteria or viruses, causing a condition called tonsillitis.
If the tonsillitis is caused by a viral infection, your doctor won't prescribe antibiotics but will probably recommend bed rest, plenty of fluids, acetaminophen to ease symptoms and waiting seven to 10 days for the symptoms to go away.*
If the tonsillitis is caused by a bacterial infection, your doctor will most likely prescribe a course of antibiotics. While your symptoms may go away completely within 24 to 48 hours, it's important to take the antibiotics as recommended until they are gone—to prevent the infection from spreading or becoming more serious.
Concerned About Your Symptoms? We Can Help
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*Do not give aspirin to children and teenagers for treatment of viral symptoms as it has been linked with a serious condition called Reye's syndrome. Use acetaminophen instead.
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