An approach to the child with pharyngitis.
In the child with pharyngitis, the physician's major task is to distinguish streptococcal from nonbacterial pharyngitis. Clinical and laboratory information is useful, but the diagnosis of streptococcal disease may be imprecise. Even the recovery of group A streptococcus from a throat culture must be interpreted with caution. Most physicians who treat a large number of children with pharyngitis will depend to a large extent on clinical judgment. When judgment is reinforced by a leukocyte count and differential and/or a throat culture, accuracy is enhanced considerably. Under the best of circumstances, some patients without streptococcal disease will be treated. Once the decision to treat is made, there is never a reason to use any drug other than penicillin for 10 days. In my experience, an injection of benzathine penicillin G, usually in combination with procaine penicillin G, is the safest, most effective, and most practical form of therapy, and compliance in 100 per cent of patients is ensured.
D000293:Adolescent; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006801:Humans; D010612:Pharyngitis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy*; D013290:Streptococcal Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy*
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents