Why does strep cause headaches?

Are you feeling miserable with a bad headache and sore throat? Chances are, you may have strep throat. While it’s no bed of roses, understanding why strep causes headaches can help alleviate the pain and make your recovery process a little more bearable.

What Is Strep Throat?

Before diving into the nitty-gritty of headaches, let’s take a quick look at what strep throat is. Strep throat is an infection caused by group A streptococcus bacteria that affects the pharynx (back of the throat) and tonsils. It is highly contagious and easily spreads through sneezing or coughing.

Typical symptoms include a severe sore throat, difficulty swallowing, fever, fatigue, swollen lymph nodes in the neck area, among others. Although anyone can get infected with strep bacteria, children between 5-15 years old are most prone to this bacterial infection.

Now that we know what strep throat is all about (or do we?), let’s talk about how and why it leads to headaches as one of its many unpleasant side effects.

The Role Of Bacteria

When you’re down with bacterial infections like Streptococcus pyogenes-induced (GAS), or “strep” for short – try saying ‘streptococcus pyrogenesus-induced’ ten times fast…give up yet? – these invisible pathogens spread throughout your body via bodily fluids such as saliva or mucus from an infected person’s mouth or nose… yep! sounds pretty gross!

These pesky little bugs then get busy colonizing various areas in your body starting from where they first entered which means.. YOU GUESSED IT: Your poor unsuspecting THROAT!. This whole colonization gig triggers your immune system since our bodies are NOT keen on extra guests that come uninvited …who is?

As a response to the presence of these bacteria our immune systems produce an army of white blood cells, known as leukocytes or wbc’s. Their job is simple yet critical: Attack the bacteria and destroy them.. GET THEM OUTTA HERE! (and they do it so well).

What Causes Headaches During Strep Throat?

The common side-effects that accompany strep throat include a fever and fatigue, which are usually accompanied by gargantuan amounts of water drinking since your mouth feels like you just swallowed hot coals… yummy!

However, headaches caused by strep infections could be due to several reasons such as;

Inflammation

Inflammation occurs when your body detects microbial invasion in one part of your system. A series of chemical responses help mobilize immune cells towards the affected area including cytokines-increasing their number within bloodstream… that’s why people get chills before having high temperatures!

This results in platelets – another type of cell- being activated through interactions with endothelial lining inside blood vessels (a process called thrombosis) forming clots resulting in swollen tissue development – OUCH!. All this inflammation can indirectly trigger nerves leading to headaches!

Dehydration

Strep infection causes swelling and redness in both tonsils and adenoids found at the backside wall close to Eustachian tube connecting ear drums with nasal cavities where we’ve probably all experienced having sore throats… Now during those occasions I’m sure some may have tried drinking LOTS MORE WATER than usual thinking it would soothe & help them swallow better BUT … NOPE dehydration still occurred because Mucus kept on streaming down from nose via sinus passages draining who knows how much fluids along its route…

So yeah, when battling strep throat make sure you down plenty liquids other than just swallowing dozens aspirin tablets every half hour OR So depending on what Google told you P.S. (too much aspirin is bad, don’t take my word for it… look it up)

Complications

Headaches can also come about as a result of secondary complications caused by strep throat… Now don’t panic! These complications are very RARE and I’m sure we’d all rather avoid them so let’s talk about what they are.

If the bacterial infection progresses beyond your respiratory system (meaning- A HIGH fever & pains that kill human souls occur), you could end up getting infected in vital organs such as kidneys or lungs resulting in nasty conditions such as post-streptococcal glomerulonephritis – try saying this ten times fast 🙂 This commonly occurs when antibodies target antigens which closely resemble those found inside our own bodies , plus other factors but trust me when i say u should always wash ur hands regularly with soap!

Stress And Headaches

It’s well known that stress can lead to headaches due to increased production of cortisol – often called the “stress hormone” – in response to psychological or physical distress. Ingestion of anti-inflammatory medication like ibuprofen if you have NO allergies lol! Though mostly helpful against body inflammation especially in connective tissues like joints might do more harm than good by exacerbating pre-existing stomach ulcers symptoms.

Now add strep throat into the mix?…You guessed it: one big headache waiting to happen since handling daily demands during intense bacterial infections…. anxiety anyone???can bring on some serious head-related pain!!

Treatment Of Headache Associated With Strep Throat Infection

Treatment largely depends on individual cases severity alongside heightening immune responses through vaccinations covering Streptococcus pyogenes areas-Tdap shots especially recommended for young children &preventing food intake at least two hours before sleep… yep trying not to choke may cause nightmares guys 🙂

Additionally here are some tips;

  • Get plenty of rest and stay hydrated
  • Over the counter pain management medication ( If not allergic)
  • Antibiotics treatment

Conclusion

Strep throat is an unwelcome visitor that can cause many symptoms, including headaches. Inflammation, dehydration, complications or even stress from fighting off these unwanted invaders may all trigger headaches for anyone with strep. Be sure to take care of yourself during this difficult time by getting enough sleep and fluids like water so that you reduce your chances for secondary infections!

(And if you have trouble saying “streptococcus pyogenesus-induced”, no worries…we won’t judge!)

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