Strep throat, sore throat, and tonsillitis are often interchanged by a lot of people. The thing however is that they all have clinical differences. That’s why before we go over what causes strep throat, let’s discuss the differences of these conditions first. This will help you understand the three and be able to recognize one from the other in any case you experience one or the other.
Strep throat is among the many causes of sore throat and throat infection. It occurs most commonly with children and adolescents. Nevertheless, strep throat can still affect all ages. Other causes of sore throat can be infections of the throat and the surrounding structures. Sore throat can be caused by any inflammation or infection of the larynx, the esophagus, tonsils, and pharynx. Now let’s move over to tonsillitis.
Tonsils and tonsillitis are two different things. Sometimes, we hear people saying they have tonsils even if they mean they have tonsillitis. While people just use tonsils to refer to the condition or illness, just to make the term short, it’s best to clarify the difference between the two. The tonsil is part of our body. Tonsils are the red and oval clumps of tissue you can find at the back to the sides of the throat. The tonsils function is to intercept germs that enter through our nose and throat. They are infused with antibodies or infection-fighting proteins as well as infection-fighting cells. They stop the spread of germs to the rest of the parts of our body. On the other hand, the tonsillitis is the inflammation of the tonsils. When your tonsils become red, sore, and swollen, it is when you know you have tonsillitis, a common cause of sore throat. It is only a general term that refers to the inflammation of tonsils.
One of the infection conditions is the strep throat. It is caused by the streptococcal bacteria. Thus the name strep throat was derived from the name of the bacteria. When strep throat occurs, it can be accompanied with fever, pain, selling, and redness of the throat and tonsils. Strep throat is also contagious. Thus, one possible cause of strep throat is infection from another person. When an infected person sneezes, coughs, or has shaking hands, the infection is spread to the other people. So if you are in an enclosed space and just hanging around with an infected friend, perhaps you shouldn’t go too close to them. Infection can also be acquired if you touch the things that the infected person has touched. It can be the table, a book, or any other hard surface.
