A 29-year-old female asked:
Daughter (6 years old) soars on lips and chin she was diagnosed with strep/tonsilitis 4 days ago in the er. white spots on tonsills and in throat. 3 days ago she broke out with what looks like the herpes symplex ( she has gotten the cold saors on her li
2 doctor answers • 2 doctors weighed in
Dr. Laura McMullenanswered
Pediatrics 23 years experience
Cold : Cold sores or fever blisters are caused by herpes simplex virus type 1 (hsv-1) and are extremely common. Most people become infected as an infant or small child when kissed or by sharing eating utensils with an adult who has the virus. The virus is most contagious when someone has a cold sore, but can still be passed along by someone who does not. Many people do not even know that they are infected because the virus can "hide out" in the nerve cells for very long periods of time - for some people it hides out forever and they never get a cold sore. For others, the virus can "wake up" at any time and that's when a cold sore happens. No one knows exactly what causes a cold sore to appear - sometimes stress, illness, fevers, colds, sunlight, cold weather, menstruation, certain foods, allergies, you name it! her strep infection may have caused her cold sore outbreak. They usually last 7-10 days and are more of an annoyance than a danger unless you have a weakened immune system or contract a bacterial infection on top of the cold sore. There is a possibility of a superinfection of the cold sores with staph or strep bacteria called impetigo. If her sores are yellow, crusting and draining, you will want to have her seen by her doctor. She may need a different antibiotic if this is the case.
There is no cure for cold sores but there are a few treatments for the symptoms:
-over the counter ointments with topical Lidocaine can be used for pain, but will not shorten the course
-applying ice and taking Acetaminophen or Ibuprofen can help with pain relief
-do not pick at it or pop it since that can make it worse
-antiviral medications such as valacyclovir are the only treatments known to reduce pain and shorten the course if taken as soon as you know an outbreak is coming. These are prescription medications, so you should discuss these with your doctor.
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5.3k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
Dr. Heidi Fowleranswered
Psychiatry 27 years experience
Cold sores: Not sure what the question is. However, cold sores may appear when a person't body is stressed (such as having an illness).
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246 viewsAnswered >2 years ago
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This can be a localized strep infection.
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A 21-year-old female asked:
I have a white spot in my tonsil. My other tonsil is big my throat kinda hurting a little my sinuses hurt making my head hurt my lympth node i can move it up n dwn its hard its not big.. Can u tell me what my problem is?
Dr. Venkata Valluryanswered
Pediatrics 45 years experience
Spot: seems like you have exudative tonsillitis, go and see your PCP to be tested for strep, you may also have mono so it is important to have your self che... Read More
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A 30-year-old female asked:
Could oral sex cause tonsillitis? Throat hurt next day and a few days later had white spots on tonsils. No other symptoms(like with herpes)
Dr. J. Lawrence Dohananswered
Dermatology 59 years experience
Maybe: Most likely your sore throat is not related to sex. But GC and maybe herpes, rarely syphilis might infect the pharynx. A DR can examine and talk to yo... Read More
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A 21-year-old female asked:
I have a very sore throat, (several days)and it hurts to swallow. Im starting to see white spots on my tonsils but can't be sure. Tonsillitis or strep?
Dr. Carla Enriquezanswered
Pediatrics 52 years experience
Could be both: "tonsillitis" is a nonspecific term for inflammation of the tonsils. "strep" refers to a specific cause of tonsillitis. But you can get strep without... Read More
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A 32-year-old member asked:
White spots on tonsils, strep throat or tonsilitis?
Dr. Bernstein Joelanswered
ENT and Head and Neck Surgery 62 years experience
Could be: White spots on the tonsils could be food particles. The only way to be sure of strep throat is a throat culture. Tonsillitis is a specific diagnosis... Read More
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5.9k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
Last updated Nov 17, 2018
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