الفهرس | Only 14 pages are availabe for public view |
Abstract Although the group A beta hemolytic streptococcus is the most common bacterial cause of acute pharyngitis, only a small percentage of patients with this condition are infected by GABHS. Moreover, GABHS pharyngitis is the only commonly occurring form of acute pharyngitis for which antibiotic therapy is definitely indicated. In fact, the most common etiology of acute pharyngitis is viral and despite this fact, antibiotics are commonly prescribed for this infection. Therefore, for a patient with acute pharyngitis, the clinical decision that usually needs to be made is whether the pharyngitis is attributable to GABHS. The signs and symptoms of group A streptococcal and other (most frequently viral) pharyngitides overlap broadly. Therefore, unless the physician is able with confidence to exclude the diagnosis of streptococcal pharyngitis on epidemiological and clinical grounds, a laboratory test should be done to determine whether GABHS are present in the pharynx. The McIsaac modified Centor score is a clinical prediction role that had been developed to distinguish streptococcal pharyngitis from pharyngitis due to other etiologies. It offers a clinical diagnostic tool for GABHS pharyngitis so as to enhance appropriate antibiotic prescription without the need to perform throat culture on all patients. |