Top 5 Reasons to Visit an Emergency Room: Strep / Flu Testing
Coughs and sore throat are one of the most common symptoms out there, with each one of us having experienced them at one time or the other, especially during flu season. It should be noted that strep is usually easily confused with sore throat although those two are not the same. For starters, sore throat, just like the flu, is caused by a virus, while strep throat is caused by a bacterial infection and can therefore be treated by use of antibiotics. In most cases of flu, one is able to recover at home by use of home remedies as well as with the help of over-the-counter medication to deal with the symptoms of the flu. As far as strep goes, most instances can comfortably be handled at an urgent care facility, where you will be assessed, tested and be prescribed antibiotics that will enable you to deal with the strep throat. However, like with many other medical conditions, there are instances where one needs to go to the emergency room, with FrontlineER.com being the best one out there, for strep or flu testing, with failure to do so not an option as it may be a potential life-threatening condition. It is therefore important to know when to head over to the emergency room for the same and as such this article should be of great help as it will look to pinpoint the top 5 reasons to head over to the emergency room for strep or flu testing.
As far as strep is concerned, if one has had a sore throat for longer than two days, and it isn’t easing despite taking medication, then you should head over to an emergency room to be assessed as soon as possible. The same applies to cases of strep throat accompanied by a fever of 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit and above or sore throat as well as difficulty swallowing, as per the subject matter experts over FrontlineER.com. If it is so severe that you are having difficulty swallowing, then you should waste no more time and should head over to an emergency room as soon as possible for strep testing, with the high fever to be also taken very seriously.
Another top reason that should ensure that you visit an emergency room for strep or flu testing is if you notice some pus on the back of your throat. The way you will be able to tell that there is pus on the back of your throat is if you feel like you have an extremely sore throat and when one takes a look at your throat, there appears to be yellowish dots on the back of it. This should be taken seriously and one should head over to the emergency room as soon as possible for strep testing. As far as babies are concerned, if they are complaining of a sore throat and are drooling excessively, then they should also head over to an emergency room as soon as possible to be assessed as this shows that the strep throat is causing them swallowing difficulties.
Another top reason that should ensure that you make a visit to an emergency room as soon as possible for strep or flu testing is if you develop flu like symptoms or a sore throat and have a condition that has compromised your immune system. Folks with a compromised immune system, as is covered in detail over at the ever reliable FrontlineER.com include those with HIV/AIDS, those that have cancer or may have received recent treatment for the same or are on treatment for the same, those who have undergone recent transplant surgery and are on transplant medication as well as those who have an existing severe infection or illness such as asthma. Such folks should always head over to an emergency room for strep or flu testing if the present with such symptoms.
Yet another top reason that should ensure you head over to an emergency room for flu or strep testing is if your cough or sore throat is accompanied by any of the following red flags: breathing difficulties, shortness of breath, muffed voice, an inability to open the mouth all the way, significant swelling on one side of the throat which usually means that one has an abscess of the tonsil, high fever, inability to swallow as well as sudden dizzy spells and feeling of confusion. Sore throat and coughs accompanied by any of these symptoms should be taken seriously as soon as possible.
The next set of symptoms, as per the gurus over at FrontlineER.com, should always also lead to a visit to an emergency room as they involve children. Here, if your child is presenting with a cough as well as sore throat and they are also not drinking enough fluids they are extremely irritable and are inconsolable as well as not wanting to be held, are having problems waking up, are not interacting and playing with others as normal, have a fever with a rash or begin to develop a bluish skin color, then they should be taken to an emergency room as soon as possible for flu or strep testing.
The above symptoms should always be taken seriously and should be reason enough to visit an emergency room for strep or flu testing, with more on this and other related topics to be found over at FrontlineER.com.
