One of the most common causes of strep throat is streptococcus bacteria. If your throat is sore and it’s not going away, it could be that you are suffering from streptococcus bacteria. Furthermore, these bacteria can lead to other infections such as scarlet fever or pneumonia if you do have them. Additionally, if an internal medicine doctor suspects you are suffering from this, they may perform a strep testing to confirm it.
Why Is Strep Testing Done?
If you are struggling to find a cause for your sore throat, strep testing can help. Specifically, by performing a strep test, you can confirm if your sore throat has been caused by a virus. By doing this, your internal medicine doctor will be able to decide the most accurate way to treat your sore throat.
Preparation For A Strep Test
If your child is going to have a strep test, your child cannot use any mouthwash before the procedure. The reason for this is that it can affect the results of the test. Furthermore, it is also essential that you make the internal medicine doctor aware of any medication your child is taking. Additionally, before a strep test, try to encourage your child to stay still.
There are two different types of tests that your internal medicine doctor will perform if you are struggling with strep throat:
Rapid strep test
This is a quick test that will identify the reason for your sore throat very quickly. When an internal medicine doctor performs a rapid strep test, they will press your tongue down gently and take a swab at the back of your throat with a cotton bud.
The best part is that results come back quickly and are attained within 20 minutes after the rapid test. If the results come back positive, your doctor will prescribe the appropriate medication to treat it. If negative, they may need to send your test for further testing.
Throat Culture
In many ways, the throat culture is similar to the rapid strep testing; however, your internist will most likely need to send your throat culture to a lab for the results. When performing this check, an internal medicine doctor will take a swab from your throat and your tonsils.
Once the swab has been taken from your throat, it will be sent to the lab, where it can take around two days to come back with a result. These results will let you know if you have strep throat. Furthermore, your doctor will then prescribe the appropriate medication if you test positive and require medication.
What To Expect
When going through either a rapid strep test or a throat culture test, you may experience some level of discomfort at the back of your throat. Additionally, you may also gag when getting swabbed at the back of the throat. It is important to understand that your internal medicine doctor will be as gentle as possible, but sometimes this is hard to avoid.
If you have any questions before going through with strep testing, make sure you speak to your internist beforehand. They should be able to advise you of all the steps and answer any further questions.
Final Thoughts
Aqeeq Internal Medicine is located in the Houston, Texas area to help you with all your medical needs! To learn about how we can help with your sore throat or to schedule an appointment, call us today at 832-786-8195.