A Doctor in Maui Diagnoses and Treats Sore Throats

by | Nov 2, 2015 | Healthcare

Somebody has been struggling with a sore throat for a few days and has a mild fever. At first, it seemed like this was probably a cold, but no other symptoms have developed. The sore throat persists. It’s time to see a Doctor in Maui to find out whether this is strep throat, which can be treated with antibiotics. Strep throat is caused by bacteria, so penicillin and other antibiotics are effective at eliminating it. Often, the patient feels much better within just a few hours.

A Doctor in Maui learns whether the patient has a sore throat by doing a rapid strep test and, perhaps, a throat culture. Both tests are done by quickly swabbing the back of the throat. This isn’t particularly pleasant for the patient, but it’s the only way to get a good sample of what’s lurking back there.

The doctor is also likely to make an educated diagnosis by talking with the patient and viewing the throat and the tonsils, if the patient still has tonsils. This is important for two reasons. First, the rapid test is not entirely effective and does not always find the bacteria. Second, a throat culture definitively identifies strep throat, but it can take two or three days to obtain results.

After the examination, a doctor at a facility such as Wailea Medical Center has a very good idea of whether the patient has strep or a viral infection, such as tonsillitis. A viral infection can’t be treated with antibiotics, which can be frustrating to the patient. Nevertheless, doctors would rather not prescribe this type of medication without a very good reason. If the problem is viral, patients are typically advised to take ibuprofen or another pain reliever and gargle with warm salt water. As with many other illnesses, getting plenty of rest and drinking lots of fluids is recommended.

If the rapid test indicates strep, or it doesn’t, but the doctor suspects strep anyway, the patient will receive a prescription that can be filled at the medical center or at a local pharmacy. Visit the website Domain for further information.

Recent Posts

Categories

Archive

Related Posts