4 ms·

I had strep every year around the holidays as a kid. It's a common, and easily treatable infection, but extremely dangerous left alone. It can go from bad to re

I had strep every year around the holidays as a kid. It's a common, and easily treatable infection, but extremely dangerous left alone. It can go from bad to really bad, quickly, especially when it travels to the heart.

maxerickson 11y ago
The danger to the heart is believed to be from the immune response to the strep, not the infection directly. http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/rheumatic-fever/basics/causes/con-20031399 http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/rheumatic-feve...
- overcast 11y ago
  Symptoms are the bodies response to infection. Regardless of what happens, because strep is present, then it occurs.
  - maxerickson 11y ago
    The point of my comment was that the infection does not travel to the heart. The immune response to the infection in the throat ends up having consequences elsewhere.
ashark 11y ago
Yeah, so I learned. Didn't even have any of the more serious complications, but had nausea with it which led to dehydration and sleep deprivation. 72+ hours of that and I was in really rough shape, I'd guess not more than 12 hours from requiring hospitalization when I finally went to the doctor and got some drugs. Will not make that mistake again.
junto 11y ago
I believe that streptococcus bacterial infections can cause long term damage to the tonsils. It causes puts and holes, and people who have this often suffer from tonsil stones. You'll know if you've have them because every so often you'll cough one up and it causes halitosis. Anyway, within the folds of the tonsils, streptococcus and other bacteria can survive, waiting for your immune system to become depressed, where it powers up again, making you ill. Hence, you may think you have got rid of the infection, but it is just in stasis inside you. This is one of the primary reasons that physicians recommend that you have your tonsils removed once you appear to have overly frequent repeats of strep throat. Sadly, the removal of the tonsils often means that infections tend to end up further down the throat after having the tonsils removed, which being nearer to the lungs raises the risk of more serious illnesses later.
fezz 11y ago
My son has to take antibiotics continuously because of an autoimmune reactions to strep (called PANDAS). https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/pandas/index.shtml https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/pandas/index.sh... Symptoms from the above link: Presence of obsessive-compulsive disorder and/or a tic disorder Pediatric onset of symptoms (age 3 years to puberty) Episodic course of symptom severity (see information below) Association with group A Beta-hemolytic streptococcal infection (a positive throat culture for strep or history of scarlet fever) Association with neurological abnormalities (physical hyperactivity, or unusual, jerky movements that are not in the child’s control) Very abrupt onset or worsening of symptoms

maxerickson 11y ago

The danger to the heart is believed to be from the immune response to the strep, not the infection directly. http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/rheumatic-fever/basics/causes/con-20031399 http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/rheumatic-feve...

overcast 11y ago
Symptoms are the bodies response to infection. Regardless of what happens, because strep is present, then it occurs.
- maxerickson 11y ago
  The point of my comment was that the infection does not travel to the heart. The immune response to the infection in the throat ends up having consequences elsewhere.

ashark 11y ago

Yeah, so I learned. Didn't even have any of the more serious complications, but had nausea with it which led to dehydration and sleep deprivation. 72+ hours of that and I was in really rough shape, I'd guess not more than 12 hours from requiring hospitalization when I finally went to the doctor and got some drugs. Will not make that mistake again.

junto 11y ago

I believe that streptococcus bacterial infections can cause long term damage to the tonsils. It causes puts and holes, and people who have this often suffer from tonsil stones. You'll know if you've have them because every so often you'll cough one up and it causes halitosis. Anyway, within the folds of the tonsils, streptococcus and other bacteria can survive, waiting for your immune system to become depressed, where it powers up again, making you ill. Hence, you may think you have got rid of the infection, but it is just in stasis inside you. This is one of the primary reasons that physicians recommend that you have your tonsils removed once you appear to have overly frequent repeats of strep throat. Sadly, the removal of the tonsils often means that infections tend to end up further down the throat after having the tonsils removed, which being nearer to the lungs raises the risk of more serious illnesses later.

fezz 11y ago

My son has to take antibiotics continuously because of an autoimmune reactions to strep (called PANDAS). https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/pandas/index.shtml https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/pandas/index.sh... Symptoms from the above link: Presence of obsessive-compulsive disorder and/or a tic disorder Pediatric onset of symptoms (age 3 years to puberty) Episodic course of symptom severity (see information below) Association with group A Beta-hemolytic streptococcal infection (a positive throat culture for strep or history of scarlet fever) Association with neurological abnormalities (physical hyperactivity, or unusual, jerky movements that are not in the child’s control) Very abrupt onset or worsening of symptoms