While sore throat is an ailment that clears on itself within a few days, strep throat often requires medical treatment with antibiotics. Physicians claim that in the absence of an appropriate medical treatment, strep throat can rapidly aggravate and lead to complications such as rheumatic fever, cardiovascular diseases or kidney affections. Before penicillin was discovered, infection with streptococcus bacteria could even cause life-threatening diseases. However, nowadays strep throat can be easily overcome with the means of specific antibiotic treatments.

It is very important to understand that sore throat and strep throat are not the same thing. Sore throat is caused by infection with viral agents and its generated symptoms are mild. By contrast, strep throat is caused by infection with group A streptococcus bacteria and its generated symptoms are usually intense. Strep throat produces symptoms such as inflammation and swelling of the throat, cough, nausea, fatigue, high fever, enlargement of the tonsils and lymph nodes. While the symptoms of sore throat usually ameliorate within a few days in the absence of medical treatment, the symptoms of strep throat intensify gradually and can persist for more than a week. In many cases, untreated strep throat can lead to tonsillitis, otitis and scarlet fever. On the premises of a weak immune system, the infection can even become systemic, affecting the body on multiple levels.

Strep throat is very contagious and it can be easily acquired in the flu seasons. Unlike in the case of sore throat, the symptoms of strep throat have a rapid onset and they are considerably more intense.

Sometimes, clinical examinations alone can distinguish between sore throat and strep throat. By measuring patients