To treat strep, or not to

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Forum -> Children's Health

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amother

Fri, Jan 21 2011, 10:22 am

My pediatrician is considered top of the line, with privileges in Columbia Presbyterian and such. He doesn't believe kids under 2 can get strep, and never cultures a child under 2.

Ever heard of that?

amother

Fri, Jan 21 2011, 10:24 am

yes I heard of it dr zimmerman in nyu says the same thing.

Chayalle

Fri, Jan 21 2011, 10:31 am

My sis is a pediatrician. I think she said that while kids under 2 can get strep, it doesn't lead to rheumatic fever at that age....something along those lines. I don't think she cultures children under 2 - though I'm not sure what her exact cut-off is....maybe close to age 2 she WOULD culture.

YALT

Fri, Jan 21 2011, 10:35 am

my dr also says that. I'm not at all a believer of it. Once I did manage to get them to do a throat culture after he was sick for so long, and I was very nervous.

But the title of your thread made me open because I thought you were asking if once it's verified that a child has strep - if we should treat it with medicine or not.
I thought that was a new theory. Or atleast a theory I'm not sure I'd like to try.
When my sister was 4 she was sick in the hospital with Sydenham's chorea - a disease that is past pneumonia. The reason? because apparently she had strep but since there weren't the typical symptoms it was not caught and treated.

MuppetLover

Fri, Jan 21 2011, 11:12 am

SO NOT TRUE! When my daughter was 9 months, on Pesach DH and I both got strep. She came home from our trip with a fever and refused to eat. The pedatriican did a strep culture bc I forced her to,and LO AND BEHOLD, my daughter's quick strep test took a minute to come back postive. She also had it a FEW times before age 2, thanks to her older silbings.

bnm

Fri, Jan 21 2011, 11:14 am

my daughter's ped also never tested but once she was 1.5 he would test, he used to say they don't treat till 2 but when she got strep they did end up treating it. she was on meds for strep twice already and 2 months past her second birthday.

a.r.

Fri, Jan 21 2011, 2:00 pm

What I heard from my doctor is this. Normally, if a child under two is not around other kids, he is unlikely- not cannot- but unlikely to get strep. However in our circles, where there is almost always other kids around that could have spread it, as it is very contagious, this does not apply. Not to culture is irresponsible and dangerous, as untreated strep can lead to serious malfunction of the body, and c"v be fatal. I know two people who almost died from untreated strep, as it affected their hearts. Please get another opinion, and if necessary, another doctor.

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