Efficient Methods of Diagnosing Strep Throat-Y's Health

Efficient Methods of Diagnosing Strep Throat: By:groshan fabiola; The efficiency of existing treatments in curing strep throat strongly depends on the accuracy and speed of diagnosis. In case the diagnosis is inaccurate or established late, the patients are exposed to the risks of receiving the wrong treatment (resulting in increased resistance of the bacterial strains involved in causing strep throat to medications) and of developing serious complications. The treatment of strep throat most often involves the use of antibiotics, medications that play a crucial role in eradicating the causative bacteria and preventing the occurrence of a variety of complications (acute rheumatic fever, kidney disease, coronary disease).

Considering the fact that strep throat (inflammation and infection of the pharynx with Group A hemolytic streptococcus bacteria) sometimes produces symptoms that are very similar to those of sore throat - the viral form of acute pharyngitis (inflammation and infection of the pharynx), doctors may confuse between the two, prescribing the inappropriate treatment and rendering patients more susceptible to developing complications.

In order to accurately separate between viral acute pharyngitis (the common sore throat and strep throat, doctors can’t always rely solely on clinical examinations and patients’ reports of symptoms. In order to find whether the cause of pharyngitis is infection with viruses or bacteria, doctors often choose to perform more conclusive tests. The recommended supportive tests consist of throat culture and the antigen test.

Although the antigen test is quicker to perform, it is also less precise and therefore doctors may perform the throat culture test even when the results of the antigen test are negative. By performing both tests together, doctors can find conclusive data regarding the nature and the exact type of the infectious organism involved in causing acute pharyngitis. However, a good alternative to this combination of tests is the newly introduced optical immunoassay test (OIA), which is very sensitive and quick to perform.

Apart from these microbial tests, the diagnosis guidelines developed by the American College of Physicians (ACP) can also help doctors distinguish between cases of sore throat and cases of strep throat. These guidelines link the probability of Group A hemolytic streptococcus pharyngitis to the following clinical findings: tender anterior cervical adenopathy, tonsillar exudates, complete absence of cough and the presence of fever (bacterial infections are often associated with high fever, sweating and chills). These guidelines are considered to be very effective in diagnosing patients with strep throat and can in most cases replace microbial tests such as pharyngeal exudates, antigen tests and optical immunoassay.
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