Sore Throat Or Strep Throat? Get A Precise Diagnosis At Urgent Care Clinic

by Laura P. Consultant

There are certain ailments and illnesses that strike the general population from time to time. Common cold, flu, eye infections, and sore throat are a few of these ailments. Almost all of us have had at least one experience of sore throat that left us unable to eat or drink properly for a couple of days. You are also unlikely to forget how irritable and feverish you felt until the condition subsided.

Now, what if you experience another episode of sore throat that does not abate even after two or three days? Will you continue with salt water gargling and consuming warm liquids? Or will you try taking over-the-counter medications? After all, these are the remedies most people try. However, your doctor might suggest something else - to get tested for strep throat at doctors walk in clinic VA.

Here’s what you must know about strep throat

So what is a strep throat infection? It exhibits symptoms similar to sore throat and may be accompanied by the flu, headache, nausea, or cold. While a sore throat is generally caused by allergies, the pathogen in strep throat is bacteria known as streptococcus. Since the pain you experience during an episode of strep throat can make it feel like a simple case of sore throat, it is not possible to detect the presence of the bacteria until you get tested.

Strep throat is highly infectious and can lead to severe complications if it is not detected and treated at the earliest. For this reason, if the situation does not get better even after three days, it is best to get tested at a walk in clinic Pentagon City. With a simple test, you will have the diagnosis in minutes and can start on medications immediately.

Diagnosis and treatment without an appointment

Unlike a regular doctor’s clinic that mandates booking an appointment to consult the doctor, you can simply walk into an after-hours clinic without an appointment. You will be ushered into a specialist with no time delay. If the doctor notes inflamed tonsils during the preliminary examination, you might be recommended more tests to confirm the presence of streptococcus bacteria.

Once the diagnosis comes in, you will be prescribed antibiotics to fight the infection. Within 2 days, the antibiotics will help clear the infection. However, it is important to take the antibiotics for the complete time period prescribed by the doctors walk in clinic VA to ensure that the bacteria are totally eliminated from your system.

The next time you are down with a sore throat, do not take the risk of treating it on your own. Consult a specialist at doctors walk in clinic VA to rule out the possibility of strep throat. This is especially crucial if you have small children at home who can easily catch the infection. To be on the safe side, get tested, start taking medications, and be back to your healthy self in a couple of days.