Type-1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease that often develops in the wake of a bout of influenza. Such was the case with my husband and a young man who lived up the street from us before we moved to Missouri.
Most of us know that scarlet fever can develop following a strep throat infection. As I’ve previously presented here on the blog, many physicians will not prescribe antibiotics to treat strep throat in TEOTWAWKI Town. And that’s because antibiotics must be conserved for life-threatening conditions. Strep throat is not life-threatening. In fact, recovery takes only a day or two longer for those who don’t use antibiotics. If you want to be able to treat your child’s strep throat, you will need to supply your own antibiotics. That’s fact #1.
Fact #2 is that there are several diseases that can develop following a strep throat infection. The overall incidence is low, especially if the infection was treated. But it’s not zero. In the coming days, we may have to decide whether to manage a strep infection with our precious pills. Some will choose to run the risk of not treating with the potentially irreplaceable pharmaceuticals. So let’s learn about the potential complications to help us decide on a course of treatment.
Scarlet fever usually follows a strep throat infection. A light pink rash that feels like fine sandpaper develops on the torso.
Rheumatic fever also often appears 1-5 weeks after a strep throat or skin [1]infection. It is characterized by a fever up to 103°F and painful swelling of the large joints that may migrate. The danger is the risk it poses to damaging heart valves. What are the odds that strep throat will progress into rheumatic fever? In the 1960s, about 2% of untreated cases of strep throat progressed into rheumatic fever.[2] Today, because most cases of strep throat are managed with antibiotics, that number is less than 1 in 1000.[3]
Peritonsillar abscess develops several days after the infection begins, and only when the infection is not treated with antibiotics. Symptoms include a severe sore throat (usually one-sided), ear pain on the same side, a muffled “hot potato” voice, and enlarged lymph glands.
Post-streptococcal glomerulonephritis (PSGN) develops about 10 days after a strep throat infection, or 3 weeks after impetigo. And it seems that prior treatment with antibiotics doesn’t prevent this from developing. Signs and symptoms include dark urine, reduced urine output, swelling around the eyes (especially in the morning), swelling of the hands, feet, or ankles, and headache or other symptoms of high blood pressure.
Bacterial meningitis is an extremely rare complication of strep throat occurring in about 1 in 500,000 cases. If a patient with a possible strep throat also presents with a severe headache, stiff neck, altered mental status, unusual sleepiness, seizures, or rapidly worsening illness, seek emergency care immediately.
All of these sequelae are rare in the US, largely because strep throat is usually treated with antibiotics. Even when conventional antibiotics become less commonly used due to supply chain issues, these complications will still be rare. However, strep throat is still extremely painful. While we may not wish to dip into the pill supply, the illness can be treated quite nicely with herbs. Something to keep in mind.
