What Causes A Dry Throat?

Strep Throat

Strep throat is a contagious bacterial infection. The major symptom of strep throat is throat pain that starts very suddenly, and is usually accompanied by painful swallowing, red spots on the roof of the mouth, fever, headache, body aches, rash, and nausea. Of course, the throat can often be dry as well. Some patients may also experience redness and swelling of the tonsils, and the tonsil area may have white streaks or pus.

The symptoms of strep throat are also shared with other conditions, which is why doctors use both a clinical examination and a swab test to confirm a diagnosis. In a swab test, the doctor gently touches the throat area with a cotton swab, and the results are usually available in about twenty minutes. Sometimes, an additional swab test called a throat culture is used, and this may take up to two days for results. If the test is positive, doctors prescribe antibiotics to resolve the infection. Since the illness is contagious, patients may need to stay home from work or school for a little while to avoid spreading the infection.

Understand more about what may cause a dry throat now.