Distinguish a Sore Throat From Strep Throat Slideshow Natural Cold and Flu Remedies Slideshow Pictures The Common Cold Slideshow Pictures

Medical Author:

Steven Doerr, MD

Steven Doerr, MD

Steven Doerr, MD, is a U.S. board-certified Emergency Medicine Physician. Dr. Doerr received his undergraduate degree in Spanish from the University of Colorado at Boulder. He graduated with his Medical Degree from the University Of Colorado Health Sciences Center in Denver, Colorado in 1998 and completed his residency training in Emergency Medicine from Denver Health Medical Center in Denver, Colorado in 2002, where he also served as Chief Resident.

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Medical Editor:

Charles Patrick Davis, MD, PhD

Charles Patrick Davis, MD, PhD

Dr. Charles "Pat" Davis, MD, PhD, is a board certified Emergency Medicine doctor who currently practices as a consultant and staff member for hospitals. He has a PhD in Microbiology (UT at Austin), and the MD (Univ. Texas Medical Branch, Galveston). He is a Clinical Professor (retired) in the Division of Emergency Medicine, UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, and has been the Chief of Emergency Medicine at UT Medical Branch and at UTHSCSA with over 250 publications.

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When to Seek Medical Care

Individuals with a sore throat, especially if accompanied by fever or other associated symptoms, should consult a health care practitioner. It is often too difficult to know definitively whether or not strep throat is present without a professional evaluation. Furthermore, there are other serious causes of sore throat that may require alternative treatments (for example, fungal throat infections or throat abscesses). Finally, it is important to seek medical advice if a person is treated for strep throat and has not improved within 3 to 4 days.

If a person has a sore throat or if they have been diagnosed with strep throat, and have any of the following signs or symptoms, they should immediately seek care in a hospital's emergency department:

• Difficulty breathing

• Difficulty or inability to swallow food

Unable to open the mouth

• Unable to swallow saliva, or drooling

• Severe throat pain

• Makes a noise during breathing

• Bleeding in the throat

• Swelling or redness of the neck

Although these signs and symptoms may be related to a strep throat infection, they can be indicators of emergent conditions such as severe esophageal strictures, epiglottitis, or tetanus (lockjaw).