“How do I know if my kid's sore throat is serious?”
I know that a sore throat can be the first symptom of a cold, but it's also a symptom of strep throat and tonsillitis. How would I know if a sore throat is a symptom of a serious condition?
3 Answers
MORE SERIOUS SORE THROATS ARE ACCOMPANIED BY A FEVER USUALLY HIGHER THAN 99,,,,AND VISUAL CHANGES OF THE TONSILS SURFACE
The most important thing is to determine if the child is able to drink and stay hydrated. If not, they will need to be brought to the emergency room. After that, the question is whether it is strep or viral, and that will be solved by a throat culture by the pediatrician. Strep throat needs antibiotics while viral does not.
Ari Goldsmith
Ari Goldsmith
80% or more of some throats are viral in nature. If your child has obvious white spot on the tonsils, a sheet like exudate, impaired ability to open mouth, large lymph nodes, high fever, inability to eat secondary to to swallowing pain, or obvious difficulty breathing, or not taking fluid well enough to avoid dehydration, he/she should be seen by Peds or ENT
