Pictures To Distinguish Strep Throat From A Sore Throat

Medically Reviewed by Gabriela Pichardo, MD on November 19, 2022

We all know that raw, scratchy feeling in the back of the throat. It could just be dry winter air, seasonal allergies, or a plain old cold. But it also could be a bacterial condition, like strep, or a viral infection or something else. Only your health care provider can tell for sure. But you can look for a few signs on your own.

Grab a flashlight, look in the mirror, and say, “Ahhh.” You could find some important clues. You might see white dots or patches in the back of your throat. Your tonsils — the bumps on either side at the back of your throat — might be red and swollen, too. These could be signs of bacterial infection like strep throat or oral thrush, or a viral infection like oral herpes or mononucleosis. They also might be something else, like tonsil stones, which are painful calcium deposits on your throat.

If you have a cough and drippy nose along with your sore throat, that could be good news. You may feel crummy, but you’re less likely to have a serious infection. You probably just have a common cold virus and post-nasal drip.

Colds can cause a fever, but it’s usually just a mild one. If you have a sore throat and a fever over 101 F, it’s more likely to be a throat infection like strep than a simple cold. But these don’t always raise your temperature — so watch for other symptoms. 

The most common reason is infection — viral or bacterial. Lymph nodes trap and destroy germs, and they can swell up when they start to fight an infection. You might feel them under your jaw or on either side of your neck. But it doesn’t always mean anything serious. Even the common cold can cause swollen lymph nodes.

When a cold causes your sore throat, it can be plenty painful, but it usually goes away after a couple of days. Bacterial infections, like strep throat, tend to cause more severe pain that doesn’t get better. With strep, it may hurt so much that you can barely swallow. Sometimes, it can cause nausea, loss of appetite, headaches, or stomach pain as well.

A rash on your neck and chest that sometimes spreads to the rest of your body can be a sign of a group of bacterial infections called streptococcal infections. The most minor of these is strep throat, but they also include more serious ones, like scarlet fever, bacteremia (bacteria in the blood), and toxic shock syndrome. They all need to be treated by a doctor — usually with antibiotics — as soon as possible. 

They may feel the same, but a common sore throat and bacterial infections are very different. Most sore throats are caused by viruses, like the cold virus. No medication will cure a cold virus — you have to let your body heal on its own. But antibiotics can fight a bacterial infection, such as strep, and stop it from spreading.

If you have a sore throat from a cold, antibiotics won’t help at all. They only help against bacteria not viruses. Taking antibiotics when you don’t really need them has a risk, too. Too much exposure to antibiotics can turn regular bacteria into “super bugs” that don’t respond to treatment.

To figure out if strep — the most common bacterial throat infection — is causing your sore throat, your doctor may use a rapid strep test. Results are ready in 5 to 10 minutes, but the test doesn’t pick up all cases of strep. If yours is negative, your doctor may send a throat culture to the lab to be sure. That’s more thorough, but you won’t get the results for a few days.

If you do have a positive strep test, your doctor will give you oral antibiotics. You’ll probably feel better in a day or two, but don’t stop taking the medication — finish the whole course, which is usually 10 days. If you stop too soon, some of the bacteria could survive and get you sick again. You’ll still be contagious up to 24 hours after you start antibiotics, so wash your hands often to protect people around you. And throw away your toothbrush.

No matter the reason for your sore throat, simple home remedies can make you feel better. One thing that might work is a saltwater gargle. Just mix half a teaspoon of salt into a glass of water, then gargle, and spit it out. It can keep your throat moist, help with swelling, and ease that raw, scratchy feeling.
 

Steam from a humidifier or vaporizer can keep your scratchy throat moist and cut down on pain. You can also lean over a sink with hot running water. Drape a towel over your head to trap the steam, and breathe deeply. Try this for 5 to 10 minutes several times a day.

Try a warm water bottle or heating pad against the outside of your throat. Or wet a towel with hot water to make your own warm compress. It can help soothe tender lymph nodes in your neck.

If you need an excuse to eat ice cream, a sore throat is a great one. The cold has a numbing effect, and the creamy texture makes it easy to swallow. Other soothing foods include milkshakes, gelatin, and hot soup. If your sore throat is especially painful, stay away from crunchy or spicy foods.

If you have a fever and don’t drink enough fluids — because it hurts to swallow — it can make you dehydrated. Choose drinks that are easy on your throat: Water and warm tea are good choices. Stay away from citrus drinks, though, because they may sting your sore throat.

Over-the-counter medicines like acetaminophen, ibuprofen, or naproxen can help dull the pain of a sore throat. But be careful if you’re taking something for a cold or the flu — some of those medications already include a painkiller. You don’t want to take a double dose.

You can soothe a painful sore throat with a numbing spray or lozenge. (But don’t give lozenges to small children.) Carry a travel-size throat spray in your purse or briefcase for relief on the go. Sucking on ice chips can also bring some relief.

If you have a cold — and fluid draining from your nose irritates your throat — you could try a decongestant nasal spray or oral decongestant. They help dry up postnasal drip and give your throat some relief. Just follow the directions and don’t take them longer than recommended. If you use any other regular medications — or have high blood pressure or heart problems — check with your doctor first.

If it lasts longer than a week or gets worse, check with your doctor, even if you had a negative strep test. A throat swab may miss bacteria, so you may need another one. A sore throat that doesn’t go away could also be a sign of acid reflux, mononucleosis, or another condition.

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4. Bruce Ayres / Getty Images
5. hoozone / Thinkstock
6. lolostock / Thinkstock
7. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
8. photoworldwide / iStockphoto
9. Kenneth Eward / Science Source
10. BSIP/UIG / Getty Images
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12. Food Collection / Photolibrary
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14. Widmann Widmann / F1 Online / Photolibrary
15. Jon Feingersh / Cusp / Photolibrary
16. BlueMoon Images / Photolibrary
17. images4 / iStockphoto
18. Alexh / iStockphoto
19. Alliance / Thinkstock
20. Sunlight19 / Thinkstock

SOURCES:

American Academy of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery: “Sore Throats. “

Bradley University: “A ‘superbug’ approach to antibiotics.”

CDC: “Sore Throat,” “Symptom Relief.”

Cleveland Clinic: ““Group A Streptococcal Infections.”

HealthyChildren.org: “When a Sore Throat is a More Serious Infection.”

Mayo Clinic: “Swollen lymph nodes.”

National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health: “Eating Problems and Ways to Manage Them.”

National Institute of Allergy & Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health: “Strep Throat.”

New Health Advisor: “White Spots on Throat”

Rutgers Health Services: “Cold & Flu.”

University of Michigan: “Infectious Mononucleosis.”

Wisconsin Department of Health Services: “Streptococcal Pharyngitis.”

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Ear Ache vs. Ear Infection: What’s the Difference?

Ear pain can range from a minor nuisance to a major source of agony. Ear pain is a common problem, especially in children, and can have a number of causes – some of which have nothing to do with the ear.

But how to know whether it’s an ear ache or an ear infection? And when is it serious enough to seek medical help? We talked with UH family medicine physician Meredith Hale, DO, to find out.

Ear Infections

Ear infections are the most common cause of ear pain. It’s especially common in children and is the most common reason parents bring their child to a doctor. In fact, five out of six children will have at least one ear infection by their third birthday.

An ear infection happens when fluid in the interior space behind the eardrum becomes infected, usually with bacteria. The tube leading into the body becomes blocked, and fluid builds up behind the eardrum. The increased pressure pushes the eardrum outward, causing pain and fever.

An ear infection often occurs after a sore throat, cold or other upper respiratory infection, Dr. Hale says. Symptoms include hearing loss, fever and feeling unwell.

Most ear infections happen to children before they’ve learned how to talk. Here are a few things parents should look for if they suspect their young child has an ear infection:

• Tugging or pulling at the ear
• Fussiness and crying
• Trouble sleeping
• Fluid draining from the ear
• Clumsiness or balance problems

Ear Ache

Ear aches are not always caused by an ear infection. Other conditions also can cause ear ache or ear pain, especially in adults.

Ear ache is often described as a feeling of pressure in the ear.

“It can begin suddenly or gradually, and it can be quite severe,” Dr. Hale says.

Aside from infection of the inner ear, other causes of ear pain include:

• Injury
• Swimmer’s ear – inflammation and infection in the channel that leads from the eardrum to the outside.
• Cellulitis — infection of the external ear and ear lobe
• Pain caused by irritation of the nerves in the ear
• Pain from a sore throat or a problem with the jaw joints
• Referred pain from infections or inflammation elsewhere in the body such as a toothache
• Allergic reactions from soap, shampoo, earrings or other allergens
• Water trapped in the ear
• Changes in altitude

Many people wonder if ear wax buildup causes ear pain. Normally, your ear canal does not need to be cleaned. But sometimes ear wax does build up, become impacted and cause symptoms, usually a sensation of fullness or muffled sound as if you are wearing ear plugs.

“When too much wax blocks the ear, you may feel pressure, but this usually doesn’t cause pain,” Dr. Hale says.

When To See a Doctor

Ear infections don’t always need to be treated with antibiotics. “Sometimes, we observe and initiate antibiotic therapy if signs and symptoms worsen or fail to improve after 48 to 72 hours,” Dr. Hale says.

If your child has repeated ear infections or trouble hearing, your doctor may suggest meeting with an ear, nose and throat specialist to discuss placing small tubes in your child’s ear to help maintain a healthy environment.

If you experience intense pain, a high fever or a hearing loss, it’s important to seek medical attention immediately, Dr. Hale says.

Related Links

At University Hospitals, we believe having a primary care provider is essential to your health and well-being. Our primary care physicians and nurses provide comprehensive, compassionate and continuous primary care for patients of all ages. We are committed to building a healthy relationship with you and your family to detect and minimize long-term health issues, or just help you get over that illness that’s going around. Need a primary care provider? Find one here.

Why does my ear hurt? The main causes of ear pain. Ear shoots: what to do?

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Pain in the ear – an extremely unpleasant symptom. It can be a dull pain in the ear, throbbing, or, conversely, acute and sudden.

Why does my ear hurt?

Possible causes of ear pain

Ear pain is most commonly associated with inflammation of either the outer ear (pinna and auditory canal up to the eardrum) or the middle ear (tympanic cavity just behind the eardrum). In this case, they speak, respectively, of external or otitis media . If the auricle hurts, then most likely the cause of this is a bacterial or fungal infection that has entered the wound or the mouth of the sebaceous gland. Sometimes both the ear and the throat hurt at the same time. And this is not surprising: the ear is connected to the nasopharynx, and through the auditory tube, the infection can get from the nasopharynx to the middle ear, and then the inflammation that causes pain develops simultaneously in the throat and ear.

However, often the ear hurts for other reasons. In children, ear pain is sometimes associated with foreign objects entering the auditory canal . If this happens, you should not try to remove the object that has fallen into the ear on your own – you can damage the eardrum or injure the ear.

The thick earwax plug can also cause discomfort and pain.

Another possible cause of acute pain is tympanic membrane rupture .

There are quite common cases when pain felt in the ear indicates a disease of other organs. Doctors call such pain radiating, and people say that the pain “gives to the ear.”

Similar pains can occur with sinusitis (inflammation of the sinuses), arthritis of the jaw joint, inflammation of the trigeminal nerve.

With caries of the extreme teeth in the advanced stage, when the nerve or tissues adjacent to the tooth are inflamed, the pain often radiates to the ear, temple and neck. You can recognize the “dental origin” of pain by the fact that it intensifies when you press on the aching tooth, as well as when you take cold or hot food.

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Ear hurts: what to do?

Ear hurts

With ear pain, the main thing is not to self-medicate. Trying to determine the cause of ear pain on your own, it is easy to make a mistake. It is not always clear even where the source of pain is located – in the auditory canal or the tympanic chamber. Therefore, it is dangerous to start treatment without consulting a doctor – you can treat something else, but a disease left to itself, in the meantime, can take a more severe form.

If the pain in the ear has not gone away within two days, or if it bothers you especially, you should contact an ENT. Experienced ENT doctors of the “Family Doctor” will help determine the cause of the pain and prescribe an effective course of treatment for both an adult and a child.

Do not self-medicate. Contact our specialists who will correctly diagnose and prescribe treatment.

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What not to do if your ear hurts

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October 15, 2020

Ear pain is considered one of the most unpleasant and excruciating pains. It can completely disrupt night sleep and significantly worsen the quality of life.

The main causes of ear pain are infections and injuries (improper cleaning of the ear canal, various bumps and injuries can lead to an inflammatory process).
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If the lesion is in the outer section, then you will feel itching in the auricle, pain (most often acute). As for the middle ear, here diseases can “come” from the nasopharynx. Most often, we experience shooting pain in the ear, a sensation of throbbing, hearing loss, a strong and unusual perception of our own voice. With damage to the inner ear, pain is extremely rare. Symptoms such as incoordination, nausea, noise are characteristic.

Sometimes excruciating pain can occur due to disease in neighboring organs (dental disease, trigeminal neuralgia, inflammation in the throat, nose or paranasal sinuses, diseases of the esophagus, cardiovascular pathologies, etc.). In this case, the pain simply “gives” to the ears.

Causes of ear pain can be caused by both infections and injuries

Do’s and Don’ts for ear pain:

⠀

• Warm up the ear. If the cause of the problem is not established (and it is very difficult to do it yourself), then you can seriously harm yourself. In the inflammatory process, the risk of spreading the lesion is high.
• Apply antibiotics. Antibacterial drops, at best, may be ineffective (with fungal otitis), at worst (in some pathologies they have a toxic effect on the nerve endings) – they can lead to deafness.

⠀
If there is no purulent discharge from the ear cavity, and the body temperature remains normal, you can take an anesthetic drug. Vasoconstrictor drops in the nose will also help. They reduce internal pressure on the membrane and thereby significantly reduce pain.

The best thing, of course, is not to get sick! So be sure to take care of your ears. Always wear a hat in the winter, carefully clean your ears from wax and do not start the disease.