When a sore throat is more than just a cold

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 14/11/2014 (3959 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It’s 6 a.m., and you have just awakened with a sore throat that feels like razor blades when you swallow. You were well yesterday, but now you have a fever, a headache and an aching body.

Should you go see your health-care practitioner, or is it just a nasty cold?

That’s the question thousands of Winnipeggers ask themselves at this time of year. And answering it correctly may be more important to your health than you think.

To understand why, it helps to know a bit about what might be causing your discomfort.

Generally speaking, sore throats are either caused by a virus or a bacterial infection. If your sore throat is caused by a virus, then you likely have a cold, and you probably don’t need to see a health-care practitioner.

On the other hand, if your sore throat is caused by a bacterial infection, then chances are you have a condition called strep throat, caused by a bacteria called group A streptococcus (GAS). Left untreated, this form of strep can cause complications such as scarlet fever, kidney damage and rheumatic fever. In other words, if you have strep throat, you will need to see a health-care practitioner.

So how do you know if your sore throat is being caused by a virus or a bacterial infection? Good question.

First, let’s discuss the usual symptoms and course of a cold.

Colds are a real nuisance, but they are generally harmless and resolve in seven to 10 days.

Sore throats from colds will usually come on slowly. Symptoms include mild fever, a cough that may or may not produce some whitish phlegm, nasal stuffiness, sneezing, fatigue and/or a runny nose. You may also have eye redness and some body aches, but generally speaking you should be able to go about your day as usual.

Strep throat is different. Symptoms include high fever, body aches, headache, fatigue, swollen lymph nodes in the neck and an extremely painful sore throat (often described as razor blades when you swallow). A sore throat from bacterial infection usually comes on suddenly (within hours or overnight). Your tonsils may be bright red, quite swollen and have white patches on them. You may also have red spots on the roof of your mouth. If you have these symptoms, you will need to visit a health-care practitioner. If you experience drooling or difficulty breathing, you should go to an emergency department.

It is worth noting strep throat is not accompanied by certain cold symptoms, such as a cough or runny nose. The more cold symptoms you have, the less likely you have strep throat. It is also helpful to know that while strep throat can strike anyone at any age, it is more common among those between five and 15 years of age, and rare in people below the age of three or beyond the age of 40.

You can reduce your risk of developing a cold or strep throat by washing your hands, not sharing cups and utensils and avoiding kissing someone with strep throat.

Treatments vary. For common colds, over-the-counter medication is available to manage your symptoms. For strep throat, antibiotics are used to prevent complications from strep throat, not necessarily to shorten the course of the illness.

Because strep throat can lead to other health issues, it is important to take it seriously. Scarlet fever, for example, is a rash that develops with a fever after strep infection. It is usually harmless if antibiotics are given, but without treatment, the bacteria may move on to damage the kidneys and cause rheumatic fever, which can affect the heart, joints, nervous system and skin.

Although the more serious conditions associated with strep throat are rare (about three per cent of the 14 million people who contract strep throat each year go on to develop rheumatic fever), it is important to remember the risk of these complications can be virtually eliminated by proper treatment. So, if you have symptoms of strep throat, see your health-care practitioner early. It may save your life.

Donna Alden-Bugden is a family nurse practitioner who works at the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority’s Quick Care Clinic at 363 McGregor St.