Acute Sore Throat in Primary Care: When to Reach for the Antibiotics

Professor, Department of Family Medicine, Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia; Associate Director, Department of Family Medicine, Abington Jefferson Health, Abington, PennsylvaniaServe on the advisory board for: AstraZeneca; Teva; Eli Lilly and Company; Boehringer Ingelheim; Sanofi; Sanofi Pasteur; GlaxoSmithKline; Merck; Bayer

Sore throats are usually self-limited, whether they are treated with antibiotics or not, but occasionally complications can occur. Suppurative complications includeAntibiotics have three potential benefits in acute sore throat: to reduce the risk of developing rheumatic heart disease, reduce the duration and severity of symptoms, and treat suppurative complications. The risk for rheumatic heart disease has almost vanished in high-income countries, but not in low-income countries.

In patients with a higher Centor score, the consensus gives two choices: They can either be tested , or it is reasonable to forgo testing and use a wait-and-see strategy, with reevaluation if they are getting worse after day 3 or not improving after day 5 days of their illness. Illnesses that lasts longer than 5 days with sore throat and fatigue should prompt consideration of alternative diagnoses, such as infectious mononucleosis.

ENT Specialty Head And Neck Surgery ENT Speciality Antibiotics Rheumatic Fever Fever Pyrexia Febrile Response Mononucleosis Infectious Mononucleosis Mono Glandular Fever Rheumatic Heart Disease Primary Care Salary Compensation Income Earnings Remuneration Salary Negotiations Pain Management Heart Practice Management Revenue Neck Pain Children Child Childhood

United States Latest News, United States Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

Sweden midfielder Kristoffer Olsson still hoping to play soccer again after acute brain conditionSweden midfielder Kristoffer Olsson is hoping to make a full return to elite-level soccer as he continues to recover from an acute brain condition that kept him in a hospital for a month.
Source: AP - 🏆 728. / 51 Read more »

Kristoffer Olsson still hoping to play soccer again after acute brain conditionSweden midfielder Kristoffer Olsson is hoping to make a full return to elite-level soccer as he continues to recover from an acute brain condition that kept him in a hospital for a month.
Source: WashTimes - 🏆 235. / 63 Read more »

By 2050, Over 23% Of Older Adults To Be Exposed To Dangerous Acute HeatAnuradha Varanasi is a freelance science writer. She writes on the intersection of health/medicine, racial disparities, and climate change. She earned an MA in Science Journalism from Columbia University in New York City.
Source: ForbesTech - 🏆 318. / 59 Read more »

Acute sense of touch helps hummingbirds hover near a flower without bumping into itHummingbird flight mechanics have been well studied but far less is known about how their sense of touch helps them sip nectar from a flower without bumping into it. Most of what scientists know about how touch is processed in the brain comes from studies on mammals, but bird brains are very different from mammal brains.
Source: ScienceDaily - 🏆 452. / 53 Read more »

Matthew Perry died from acute effects of ketamine, other contributing factors: AutopsyThe 'Friends' star died on Oct. 28 at 54 years old.
Source: ABC - 🏆 471. / 51 Read more »

Guidelines on Rapid BP Reduction in Acute Ischemic Stroke ChallengedA new study challenges guideline recommendations to rapidly reduce BP in acute ischemic stroke patients to allow for swift thrombolysis.
Source: Medscape - 🏆 386. / 55 Read more »