Strep throat is not considered a serious illness. Many people get strep throat because of poor hygiene, decreased body resistance to disease, fatigue, or an unhealthy diet. All of these factors make it easier for you to develop infections with the bacteria responsible for causing strep throat. Although people with a weak immune system are more likely to get strep throat, the illness can also occur in healthy people. Children and adolescents often get strep throat, and because of this fact, most people think that strep throat does not occur in adults. The truth is that strep throat can occur in adults and they may even have great difficulty coping with it. Although strep throat in adults is rare, adults have a hard time dealing with the infection.
Strep throat in adults usually occurs due to infection with the bacteria Streptococcus pyogens. This type of bacteria is very common and can populate the throat, mouth, and nose for long periods of time without causing any harm to the body. Strep throat in adults can be triggered by certain factors that activate the bacteria Streptococcus pyogens. Under the premises of stress and a weak immune system, bacteria can begin to infect the throat and adjacent regions, thus causing strep throat.
The most common symptoms of strep throat in adults are a sore throat that quickly becomes very painful, high fever, inflammation and swelling of the throat, pus in and around the tonsils, swollen, tender, and swollen glands. lymph nodes in the neck, dry and stuffy nose and breathing difficulties. In many cases, strep throat in adults is not accompanied by a cough or runny nose.
Although the main causes of strep throat in adults are Streptococcus pyogens infections, other bacteria can also populate the throat and cause similar symptoms. Other types of bacteria responsible for causing strep throat in adults include staphylococcus, Neisseria, and hemophilus influenza. Unlike children, who typically have strong immune systems, adults are sometimes more susceptible to infections when their immune systems are weakened by lack of sleep, unhealthy lifestyle, and stress. Therefore, most cases of strep throat in adults occur as a result of stress, overwork, and fatigue. If people suffered from the flu or cold just before contracting the bacteria responsible for causing strep throat, the body has less strength to fight off external viral and bacterial threats. In this case, adult forms of strep throat can be very serious and can even lead to complications.
Strep throat in adults can cause the following complications: acute rheumatic fever (inflammatory arthritis), acute post-streptococcal glomerulonephritis (inflammation of the kidneys), cellulitis or tonsillopharyngeal abscess (occurs when strep throat is not treated, it is a severe inflammation of the throat accompanied by accumulation of pus) and otitis (ear infection). These are all serious complications that occur when strep throat is left untreated or poorly treated. Strep throat in adults can become very serious, and therefore it is very important to discover its symptoms quickly to prevent the occurrence of undesirable effects.
