Strep throat is a common childhood ailment, and antibiotic medications are usually necessary to get rid of it. If your child is inflicted with a case of strep throat, it can be highly stressful for you and very uncomfortable for your child. It's important to get a child with a case of strep throat on antibiotics quickly to prevent the infection from developing into a more severe condition. The following are indicators that your child may be suffering from more than just the common cold and needs to be tested for a strep infection:

Sore throat

The sore throat that accompanies a strep infection might at first seem like the onset of a common cold, but it will persist longer and be accompanied by a different set of symptoms. 

Children suffering from strep throat will typically have trouble swallowing. While they will have a sore throat, they are less likely to experience other typical cold symptoms like cough and runny nose. 

Discoloration at the back of the mouth

During a strep throat infection, the back of the throat or the roof of the mouth may become discolored by red or white areas. These discolored spots are known as petechiae. 

The back of the mouth may appear swollen or tender. Also, the tonsils may sometimes become enlarged or exhibit an unusually bright red color. In cases of severe infection, streaks of pus may form in swollen tonsils. 

Fever

Although runny nose and cough don't typically accompany a strep infection, a child with strep throat will typically run a fever. A strep throat infection is a likely cause of an abnormally high fever that won't go away.

This fever may be accompanied by any of the following: a rash, nausea, stomach pain, or a decrease in appetite. 

Swollen lymph nodes

During a strep infection, the lymph nodes in the neck will typically swell as the body attempts to fight off the Streptococcus bacteria. The child may complain of increasing tenderness in the lymph nodes as they become swollen. 

Being able to identify swollen lymph nodes is not only important for detecting a strep infection, but it can also indicate the presence of a variety of other types of infection in the body. Swollen lymph nodes indicate that the immune system is working to produce antibodies to fight off a viral or bacterial infection. Talk to a physician like Entira Family Clinics to get the care your child needs.