We are looking at one of the most common conditions people suffer from every year. According to worldwide statistics, around 600 million people get strep throat each year, and most of them are children. And, if you have ear pain along with your sore throat, there might be some connection between these two.
According to healthcare officials around the globe, children suffer from it most often and can catch it from simple contact or being in the presence of others with the same condition. Anyway, here we are going to go through all the detailed information on strep throat and its relation with earache, so keep reading further:
How Can Strep Throat Cause Earache?
So, when it comes to strep throat, it simply happens when you come into contact with bacteria called Streptococcus pyogenes or Group A streptococcus. Usually, when you are present in a group of people, or your kid is playing around their friends, the bacteria can get into your system through the air. Once the bacteria gets into your system, it starts to affect your throat and makes it sore.
Now, if you have earache along with your sore throat, it’s a strict sign of you having tonsillitis, mononucleosis, or otitis media. These types of infections can affect your tonsils, forming abscesses filled with pus, and can give you intense pain and discomfort in your ears as well.
Possible Causes Of Earache From Strep Throat
So, when you contract the Streptococcus bacteria, it gets to your throat and makes it sore for a couple of days. However, in some cases, it can travel to your eustachian tubes and middle ear and infect your ear as well. Usually, if you have strep throat, it diminishes by itself in a couple of days, but it leads to your ear pain and infection, you might want to consult your doctor as soon as possible.
The pain in your from this type of infection might feel like needles poking inside your ears, which is completely a sign of. If you are being careless about your treatment, it can even affect your hearing and can cause hearing loss if left untreated for an extended period of time.
What Are The Signs And Indications?
When it comes to identifying your condition, there are certain signs and indications that might help you. If you have strep throat, the most common sign would be a scratchy feeling in your throat, which is due to the infection. And, if you have pain and discomfort, it means that your infection is getting worse, and you might have to face a fever afterward. Anyway, here are some other symptoms you might have indicating your strep throat and ear infection:
Pain While Swallowing Your Food: When you have tonsillitis, it swells your lymph nodes, and that’s the reason you might have painful swallowing. Not only while swallowing, but your tonsillitis might also give you an earache, which might last a couple of days. So, if you have tonsillitis, you can go for foods like porridge or nutritious juices for a couple of days to avoid pain.
Red Spots On Your Upper Pallets: One of the most prominent signs of strep throat is having red spots on the back of your upper pallets. If you really have the red spots there, it’s a direct sign that you have a strep throat infection, and it can get worse if you are not seeking professional attention.
How Can You Treat Your Condition Effectively?
As you might know by now, the strep throat infection can spread from your throat to your ears and other sensory organs. Not only that, it can affect you severely if it is left untreated for a long time. Now you’d be wondering, why would you need to see a doctor if it gets better in a couple of days? Well, in common cases, it does get better on its own, but if you already have an earache, it means the infection is spreading, and you need to consult your doctor.
Anyways, if you are looking for a simple home treatment option for your strep throat and ear pain, you can take antibiotics to reduce the symptoms. The antibiotics used to treat this type of infection are penicillin and amoxicillin, and your healthcare provider would also prescribe you the same antibiotics as well. In addition to that, you’d need to take those antibiotics every day until your infections diminish and the pain goes away.
Basic Prevention Habit To Keep Yourself Safe And Sound
So, if you are taking your antibiotics regularly and the pain is diminishing slowly, now it’s important for you to keep taking your antibiotics for a couple of more days. This will completely eradicate the infection along with the bacteria in your throat and ears.
Now comes the prevention from these bacteria so that you don’t get the same infection again. For that, you’d need to make sure you’re always in a clean environment and focus on your hygiene. Make sure you are washing your hands every chance you get throughout the day, and keep a safe distance from people with colds or frequent sneezes.
Another prevention tip for you is that you can also save others by keeping your mouth covered if you have an infection. Make sure you are using masks and sanitizers if you have the infection and you’re going out in public.
Summing Up
When it comes to ear infections following your strep throat, it usually gets easier, and pain also diminishes on its own. However, if you have continuous pain and irritation in both your throat and ears, make sure to consult your healthcare instructor immediately. And, if you are looking for safety measures for your children, make sure they wear masks most often during winter and pre-spring season.
The winter and pre-spring seasons are “That time of the year” for adults as well as kids to get strep throat infections. So, make sure to use a sanitizer and keep a safe distance from people who are cold all the time.
