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White Spots and Bumps in the Back of the Throat: Symptoms of Strep

While getting a sore throat commonly leads to further symptoms, it does not always mean you have strep throat. Many times, a sore throat is a precursor to a common cold or other viral illness. What does a sore throat look like? What about a sore throat vs. a normal throat? A sore throat has unique indicators such as white spots on the throat or bumps in the back of the throat that can alert you to whether it’s viral, like a cold, or bacterial, like strep throat. Take a look at strep throat pictures to get an idea about strep throat and what it looks like.

Strep Throat: What it looks like

What Does Strep Look Like? | Strep Throat Images

As you can see in the following picture of strep throat, there are a number of differences in a sore throat compared to a virus and a bacterium.

For a viral sore throat, there are typically fewer symptoms than what would be found with strep throat. You will commonly see red, swollen tonsils and a red, swollen throat. If you have these symptoms, and these symptoms only, chances are your illness is strictly viral, and you can gargle salt water to help relieve the symptoms.

Pic of strep throat above.

Strep Throat vs. Tonsillitis 
The beginning of strep throat usually starts with a sore throat and then moves on to other cold symptoms, including a runny nose or congestion. Because strep throat is an infection from streptococcus bacterial, it can cause tonsillitis. If you have strep throat, you will most likely have a more severe sore throat that lasts longer.

If your symptoms are coming from a bacteria instead of a virus, there are more symptoms that you will likely notice. Some of the following symptoms are indicators of what strep throat looks like:

  • Sore, swollen, red throat, and tonsils
  • Swollen uvula
  • Tiny white spots on the back of the throat, tongue, and tonsils
  • Bumps in the back of the throat
  • Gray, furry film on the tongue (can give the tongue a white appearance)

If you have some or all of these symptoms that look like strep throat, you should seek medical attention from the healthcare professionals at FastMed Urgent Care.

Other related questions:

Poison Ivy Treatment | Can You Talk When You Have Strep Throat | Sinus Infection Treatment | TB Test | Ear Infection

 

About FastMed

FastMed Urgent Care owns and operates nearly 200 centers in North Carolina, Arizona and Texas that provide a broad range of acute/episodic and preventive healthcare services 365 days a year. FastMed also provides workers’ compensation and other occupational health services at all its centers, and family and sports medicine services at select locations. FastMed has successfully treated more than six million patients and is the only independent urgent care operator in North Carolina, Arizona and Texas to be awarded The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval® for quality, safety and infection control in ambulatory healthcare. For more information about locations, services, hours of operation, insurance and prices, visit www.fastmed.com.

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