Sore Throat | Antibiotic Use - CDC

A sore throat can make it painful to swallow. A sore throat can also feel dry and scratchy. Sore throat can be a symptom of strep throat, the common cold, ... Skipdirectlytositecontent Skipdirectlytopageoptions SkipdirectlytoA-Zlink AntibioticPrescribingandUse SectionNavigation CDCHome Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Syndicate SoreThroatEspañol:Dolordegarganta Minus RelatedPages Isitpainfultoswallow? Orisyourthroatscratchy?Avirusmaybecausingyoursorethroat. Mostsorethroats,exceptforstrepthroat,donotneedantibiotics. Causes Causesofsorethroatinclude: Viruses,likethosethatcausecoldsorflu ThebacteriagroupAstrep,whichcausesstrepthroat(alsocalledstreptococcalpharyngitis) Allergies Smokingorexposuretosecondhandsmoke Ofthese,infectionsfromvirusesarethemostcommoncauseofsorethroats. Strepthroatisaninfectioninthethroatandtonsilscausedbybacteria.ThesebacteriaarecalledgroupAStreptococcus(alsocalledStreptococcuspyogenes). SymptomsofSoreThroat Asorethroatcanmakeitpainfultoswallow.Asorethroatcanalsofeeldryandscratchy.Sorethroatcanbeasymptomofstrepthroat,thecommoncold,allergies,orotherupperrespiratorytractillness.SorethroatcausedbyavirusorthebacteriacalledgroupAStreptococcuscanhavesimilarsymptoms. SometimesthefollowingsymptomssuggestavirusiscausingtheillnessinsteadofStrepthroat: Cough Runnynose Hoarseness(changesinyourvoicethatmakesitsoundbreathy,raspy,orstrained) Conjunctivitis(alsocalledpinkeye) SymptomsofStrepThroat Themostcommonsymptomsofstrepthroatinclude: Sorethroatthatcanstartveryquickly Painwhenswallowing Fever Redandswollentonsils,sometimeswithwhitepatchesorstreaksofpus Tinyredspotsontheroofofthemouth Swollenlymphnodesinthefrontoftheneck Sometimessomeonewithstrepthroatalsohasarashknownasscarletfever(alsocalledscarlatina). WhentoSeekMedicalCare Talktoyourdoctorifyouoryourchildhavesymptomsofsorethroat.Theymayneedtotestyouoryourchildforstrepthroat. Alsoseeadoctorifyouoryourchildhaveanyofthefollowing: Difficultybreathing Difficultyswallowing Bloodinsalivaorphlegm Excessivedrooling(inyoungchildren) Dehydration Jointswellingandpain Rash Thislistisnotall-inclusive.Pleaseseeyourdoctorforanysymptomthatissevereorconcerning. Seeadoctorifsymptomsdonotimprovewithinafewdaysorgetworse.Tellyourdoctor ifyouoryourchildhaverecurrentsorethroats. Treatment Adoctorwilldeterminewhattypeofillnessyouhavebyaskingaboutsymptomsanddoingaphysicalexamination.Sometimestheywillalsoswabyourthroat. OnThisPage CausesSymptomsofSoreThroatSymptomsofStrepThroatWhentoSeekMedicalCareTreatmentHowtoFeelBetterOver-the-CounterMedicineandChildrenPrevention Aviruscausesthemostcommontypeofsorethroatandisnotstrepthroat. Only3in10childrenwithasorethroathavestrepthroat. Onlyabout1in10adultswithasorethroathasstrepthroat. SoreThroatAhealthythroatandasorethroat,includinguvulaandtongue,showinginflamedtonsils. resizeiconViewLarger Close downloadiconDownloadImage[JPG] Moreabout scarletfever strepthroat babyiconTalktoahealthcareprofessionalrightawayifyourchildisunder3monthsoldwithafeverof100.4°F(38°C)orhigher. VirusorBacteriaWhat’sgotyousick?imageicon Moreabout rheumaticfever Sincebacteriacausestrepthroat,antibioticsareneededtotreattheinfectionandpreventrheumaticfeverandothercomplications.Adoctorcannottellifsomeonehasstrepthroatjustbylookinginthethroat.Ifyourdoctorthinksyoumighthavestrepthroat,theycantestyoutodetermineifitiscausingyourillness. Anyonewithstrepthroatshouldstayhomefromwork,school,ordaycareuntiltheynolongerhavefeverANDhavetakenantibioticsforatleast12hours. Ifaviruscausesasorethroat,antibioticswillnothelp.Mostsorethroatswillgetbetterontheirownwithinoneweek.Yourdoctormayprescribeothermedicineorgiveyoutipstohelpyoufeelbetter. Moreabout antibiotic-resistantinfections C.diff Whenantibioticsaren’tneeded,theywon’thelpyou,andtheirsideeffectscouldstillcauseharm.Sideeffectscanrangefrommildreactions,likearash,tomoreserioushealthproblems.Theseproblemscanincludesevereallergicreactions,antibiotic-resistantinfectionsandC.diff infection.C.diffcausesdiarrheathatcanleadtoseverecolondamageanddeath. HowtoFeelBetter Somewaysyoucanfeelbetterwhenyouhaveasorethroat: Suckonicechips,popsicles,orlozenges(donotgivelozengestochildrenyoungerthan2years). Useacleanhumidifierorcoolmistvaporizer. Garglewithsaltwater. Drinkwarmbeveragesandplentyoffluids. Usehoneytorelievecoughforadultsandchildrenatleast1yearofageorolder. Askyourdoctororpharmacistaboutover-the-countermedicinesthatcanhelpyoufeelbetter.Alwaysuseover-the-countermedicinesasdirected. TopofPageOver-the-CounterMedicineandChildren Carefullyreadandfollowinstructionsonover-the-countermedicineproductlabelsbeforegivingmedicinestochildren.Someover-the-countermedicinesarenotrecommendedforchildrenofcertainages. Painrelievers: Childrenyoungerthan6months:onlygiveacetaminophen. Children6monthsorolder:itisOKtogiveacetaminophenoribuprofen. NevergiveaspirintochildrenbecauseitcancauseReye’ssyndrome.Reye’ssyndromeisaveryserious,butrareillnessthatcanharmtheliverandbrain. Coughandcoldmedicines: Childrenyoungerthan4yearsold:donotuseover-the-countercoughandcoldmedicinesinyoungchildrenunlessadoctorspecificallytellsyouto.Coughandcoldmedicinescanresultinseriousandsometimeslife-threateningsideeffectsinyoungchildren. Children4yearsorolder:discusswithyourchild’sdoctorifover-the-countercoughandcoldmedicinesaresafetogivetoyourchild. Askyourdoctororpharmacistabouttherightdosageofover-the-countermedicinesforyourchild’sageandsize.Also,tellyourchild’sdoctorandpharmacistaboutallprescriptionandover-the-countermedicinestheyaretaking. TopofPagePrevention Youcanhelppreventsorethroatsbydoingyourbesttostayhealthyandkeepothershealthy,including: Cleanyourhands. Avoid closecontactwithpeoplewhohavesorethroats,colds,orotherupperrespiratoryinfections. Don’tsmokeandavoidexposuretosecondhandsmoke. TopofPage Pagelastreviewed:October6,2021 Contentsource: CentersforDiseaseControlandPrevention,NationalCenterforEmergingandZoonoticInfectiousDiseases(NCEZID),DivisionofHealthcareQualityPromotion(DHQP) homeAntibioticUse AboutAntibioticUseplusicon AntibioticUseQ&A AntibioticDo’s&Don’ts AntibioticResistanceQ&A AntibioticsQuizplusicon QuizQuestionandAnswers PatientResourcesandEducationplusicon PrintMaterials TreatmentforCommonIllnessesplusicon ChestCold(AcuteBronchitis) CommonCold EarInfection Flu(Influenza) SinusInfection(Sinusitis) SkinInfections SoreThroat UrinaryTractInfection VideoandAudio WebImagesandGraphics HealthcareProfessionalResourcesandTrainingplusicon EducationalResourcesforHealthcareProfessionals CEandTraining TreatmentRecommendationsplusicon AdultOutpatientTreatmentRecommendations PediatricOutpatientTreatmentRecommendations IsItReallyaPenicillinAllergy? HealthDepartmentResources ImprovingAntibioticUseplusicon CurrentStewardshipReport PastStewardshipReportsplusicon 2020Report 2018Report 2017Report MeasuringOutpatientAntibioticPrescribingplusicon AnnualReports,2011 AnnualReports,2012 AnnualReports,2013 AnnualReports,2014 AnnualReports,2015 AnnualReports,2016 AnnualReports,2017 AnnualReports,2018 AnnualReports,2019 AnnualReports,2020 OutpatientHemodialysisFacilities Tuberculosis(TB),Gonorrhea,andValleyFever CoreElementsofAntibioticStewardshipplusicon Hospitalplusicon ImplementationResourcesforHospitals Outpatientplusicon ImplementationResourcesforOutpatientFacilities NursingHomeplusicon ImplementationResourcesforNursingHomes SmallandCriticalAccessHospitals Resource-LimitedSettings U.S.AntibioticAwarenessWeekplusicon BeAntibioticsAwarePartnerToolkitplusicon Graphics&Videos Handouts&Posters GetInvolved RelatedPrograms email_03GetEmailUpdates Toreceiveemailupdatesaboutthispage,enteryouremailaddress: EmailAddress What'sthis? Submit Facebook Twitter LinkedIn SAS stats ExitNotification/DisclaimerPolicy Close LinkswiththisiconindicatethatyouareleavingtheCDCwebsite. TheCentersforDiseaseControlandPrevention(CDC)cannotattesttotheaccuracyofanon-federalwebsite. Linkingtoanon-federalwebsitedoesnotconstituteanendorsementbyCDCoranyofitsemployeesofthesponsorsortheinformationandproductspresentedonthewebsite. Youwillbesubjecttothedestinationwebsite'sprivacypolicywhenyoufollowthelink. CDCisnotresponsibleforSection508compliance(accessibility)onotherfederalorprivatewebsite. FormoreinformationonCDC'swebnotificationpolicies,seeWebsiteDisclaimers. Cancel Continue