So, it is the rheumatic fever and other complications that are the reasoning behind going to the doctor. You're not supposed to go to the doctor for every sore throat (said my mom when I was a kid), but you are supposed to go if it goes on for 3-4 days or more, because that weeds out the simple colds. The longer running stuff is often viral, but the things that strep can do if it gets a toe-hold in your body and then never leaves (rare but definitely possible) are pretty nasty, so I tend to go for a strep test if I have a long sore throat. Basically, it seems to me that the statistics above imply that there's about a 1/1000 chance of your sore throat developing into something nastier if left unchecked (possibly higher if we presume some of the sore throats a doctor sees are simple 2-3 day colds brought in by overprotective parents), and I get tested yearly for plenty of things that I bet I have a 1/1000 chance or less of actually developing. It's all about risk aversion and how much of a chore it really is to go to the doctor, I guess. For me the doctor's visit often functions simply to remind me that there are OTC medicines that really do help, which I always forget.
Oh, and I'm contrariways on AIM, although I'm only on for bits of the evenings and weekends.
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Date: 2005-03-01 03:38 pm (UTC)Oh, and I'm contrariways on AIM, although I'm only on for bits of the evenings and weekends.