Reply to Any Pediatricians here - antibiotics for strep if symptoms are gone?

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[quote=Anonymous]Some really really bad advice on this thread.

I'm a pediatrician.  Here are some facts.

Active strep infection will nearly always go away on its own (as long as the host has a normal immune system) in just a few days.  The point of antibiotics (with strep) is not really to eliminate the infection itself.

The biggest issue with strep infections is that the antibodies we produce to eliminate it have a nasty habit of cross-reacting with some of our own body proteins and leading to autoimmune diseases.  The biggest worry is for rheumatic heart disease (which can destroy heart valves) and post-streptococcal glomerulonephritis (which can lead to kidney failure).  Other problems from strep antibodies include arthritis and many other issues.

The point of antibiotics with strep is to limit our body's response to decrease the risk for these post-strep autoimmune problems.  The scientific evidence supporting aggressive antibiotic treatment for strep is overwhelming.

It is generally a very good idea to limit antibiotic usage and it is certainly true that we use too many antibiotics in general.  This is not true when it comes to strep.  Always (ALWAYS) complete the whole course of antibiotics for strep.

People who don't know what they are talking about need to stop dispensing medical advice on the internet.  It is dangerous.  [/quote]

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