The "New" Strep Throat

[Anonymous]

There are a lot of possible serious outcomes to strep and not all strep presents with classic symptoms (or any symptoms for that matter). We know 3 kids who have had PANDAS, one who had rheumatic fever and one who ended up in the hospital and nearly died due to some rare complication. More and more research is indicating that some neurological disorders (schizophrenia, OCD) may be caused by strep or some other types of bacterial infections.

Yes, we overprescribe antibiotics in this country. But strep is not something you mess around with.

[Anonymous]

This is the way I always get strep. I'm 54. I can self-diagnose. My throat feels different--different soreness with Strep.

When I have no fever, no spots I have to demand a culture. I've been right 99% of the time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My son (3.5) complained of a stomach ache and had a bad cough. Strep test positive.

This in our house too -- two kids plus me.

[Anonymous]

It seems to me that lots of mild cases with atypical symptoms must resolves on their own since many people don;t visit the Dr for them. Even bacterial things resolve, that is how the world got by before antibiotics. My kids have never been diagnosed with Strep (high schoolers) but we also let many mild things ride without a trip to the Dr. My ped once told me that almost all things resolve after a few days regardless of what they are and we don't need to come in with typical illness symptoms till day 3 or 4. I have followed that advice and so far so good.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:not to be the dumbass but why does something so mild need treatment at all?

yes not all strep needs antibiotics!

Really? I've heard that for ear infections, but not for strep.

NP here. Like 10% of kids are permanently colonized by strep A (the kind that causes strep throat) asymptomatically. Others can usually clear it with their immune systems. But if untreated it can sometimes develop into more severe disease.

I'm more on the side of taking a "wait and see" approach than asking for a culture every time, though. My brother was a strep carrier and my siblings and I were on antibiotics about every month for years because the dr would do a culture for him if he has anything (a cold, flu, allergies, etc) and prescribe them to the siblings, too. Finally ended when he cultured my bro at a well visit on my mom's insistence and was like "I'll be damned." All my siblings have issues with antibiotics (allergies, etc) due to being on them too much as children. We also struggle with weight (a side effect of overuse of abx), so I don't want my kids to go through that. It's a tough call sometimes.

What? Weight gain and allergies are due to antibiotics? I understand they're being over prescribed, but let's not go too far.

You should go read about the gut biome and what doctors and researchers are discovering (I'm guessing that learning and understanding about this will severely limit the amount of fat shaming you feel entitled to do). And, yes: it might be linked to antibiotic use!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:not to be the dumbass but why does something so mild need treatment at all?

yes not all strep needs antibiotics!

Really? I've heard that for ear infections, but not for strep.

NP here. Like 10% of kids are permanently colonized by strep A (the kind that causes strep throat) asymptomatically. Others can usually clear it with their immune systems. But if untreated it can sometimes develop into more severe disease.

I'm more on the side of taking a "wait and see" approach than asking for a culture every time, though. My brother was a strep carrier and my siblings and I were on antibiotics about every month for years because the dr would do a culture for him if he has anything (a cold, flu, allergies, etc) and prescribe them to the siblings, too. Finally ended when he cultured my bro at a well visit on my mom's insistence and was like "I'll be damned." All my siblings have issues with antibiotics (allergies, etc) due to being on them too much as children. We also struggle with weight (a side effect of overuse of abx), so I don't want my kids to go through that. It's a tough call sometimes.

What? Weight gain and allergies are due to antibiotics? I understand they're being over prescribed, but let's not go too far.

You should go read about the gut biome and what doctors and researchers are discovering (I'm guessing that learning and understanding about this will severely limit the amount of fat shaming you feel entitled to do). And, yes: it might be linked to antibiotic use!

Please see earlier post about the Diane Rehm show with Dr. Blaser, microbiome guy, and Dr. Fauci, head of NIH. Dr. Fauci was clearly, although diplomatically, not on board with all the ill effects Dr. Blaser attributes to antibiotics. Fauci, of course, is in favor of limiting antibiotics to prevent antiobiotic resistant bacteria.

Dr. Fauci says in the interview that strep needs to be treated with antibiotics.

I don't think PP is fat shaming; skepticism about antibiotics and weight gain does not translate into an anti-fat attitude.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It seems to me that lots of mild cases with atypical symptoms must resolves on their own since many people don;t visit the Dr for them. Even bacterial things resolve, that is how the world got by before antibiotics. My kids have never been diagnosed with Strep (high schoolers) but we also let many mild things ride without a trip to the Dr. My ped once told me that almost all things resolve after a few days regardless of what they are and we don't need to come in with typical illness symptoms till day 3 or 4. I have followed that advice and so far so good.

Same with my son, now 11, and myself. I can quite literally count on one hand the number of times he's seen a doctor due to bacterial or viral infection in his entire lifetime.

Now this said, I have a hunch we're just lucky, drew the lucky cards, and that there is something about his natural, innate microbiota that has created this situation. I'm not patting myself on the back for doing something to create this situation. OTOH ... we never visit the doctor for "peace of mind" or "just in case."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:not to be the dumbass but why does something so mild need treatment at all?

Strep can be quite dangerous. An adult friend of mine had it last year, and it somehow spread to his knee. His knee swelled up to the size of a baseball. He was hospitalized for a month and almost lost his leg. I had no idea it could be that dangerous.

I had strep throat two years ago at age 40 and I quite literally thought I was going to die.

[Anonymous]

My children were getting strep once or twice a year, for about three or four years, and never showed any signs of illness until the scarlet fever rashes developed. Now I get them cultured any time they complain about a sore throat. I've noticed my autistic child becomes a raging asshole when he gets strep and I will get him cultured then too. I consider us lucky and the kids don't get antibiotics but once or twice a year as we are the wait and see kind of people.

[Anonymous]

Strep throat can have serious consequences and should not be ignored.

How do I know? I am one of those who had untreated strep throat because my parents thought it was just a sore throat. It affected my heart valves and also my knee. The latter did not have any lasting effect. The former did and to this day I have a marked murmur which may well need surgery at some point.

Strep throat is just not something that should be ignored.

[Anonymous]

Hard to avoid ignoring it when people are talking about asymptomatic strep.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are a lot of possible serious outcomes to strep and not all strep presents with classic symptoms (or any symptoms for that matter). We know 3 kids who have had PANDAS, one who had rheumatic fever and one who ended up in the hospital and nearly died due to some rare complication. More and more research is indicating that some neurological disorders (schizophrenia, OCD) may be caused by strep or some other types of bacterial infections.

Yes, we overprescribe antibiotics in this country. But strep is not something you mess around with.

So you know five people whose lives were debilitated by strep? I find that hard to believe, unless these are people you've heard of and don't know personally.

That being said, whenever my kids have a sore throat, unexplained fever or illness we test for strep.

[Anonymous]

If one child is positive for strep, do you get your other asymptomatic kids tested as a precaution? I used to do that (we would use minute clinic) but have stopped. This thread is making me reconsider again.

[Anonymous]

You really go to the Dr for every fever? I feel so negligent but my kids have avoided anti-biotics so far (teens) so I guess we have been lucky.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If one child is positive for strep, do you get your other asymptomatic kids tested as a precaution? I used to do that (we would use minute clinic) but have stopped. This thread is making me reconsider again.

Our doctor would have us bring in the other kids.