It’s summer time here in San Antonio, and while that means soaring temperatures and kids out of school, it’s also allergy season. We’ve written before about what causes allergies and some ways to combat them, so I won’t go into too much detail about that here. What’s concerning is that we’re starting to see some cases of strep throat mixed in among people coming in for their allergies.
You can muddle through allergies on your own (or we can help you if you’re really miserable), but strep needs extra attention.
How can you tell if you have strep or just bad allergies?
Strep
- Sudden sore throat
- Sore throat and tonsils
- Painful swallowing
- Tender, enlarged cervical nodes
- White exudates on tonsils
- Fever
- Headache
- Occasionally nausea/loss of appetite or abdominal pain
- Occasionally a rash 12–48 hours after onset of symptoms
- Usually no respiratory or nasal symptoms
Allergies
- Usually prolonged duration of illness
- Runny nose
- Sneezing
- Itchy, watery eyes
- Nasal discharge
- Recurs at a particular season or with exposure to allergen
- Occasionally cough, hoarseness, sore throat (from drainage)
Here at Impact Urgent Care, we have rapid strep tests available that can confirm our doctor’s findings if we believe you have strep. Then, we can prescribe antibiotics and other medications if they’re needed. Untreated strep can leave you susceptible to nastier diseases, and it’s not a good idea to see if it’ll clear up on its own.
Even if it’s just a summer cold or bad allergies, we can help you feel better.
