[The impact of a sore throat score on clinical management of streptococcal angina].
OBJECTIVE
To establish the validity and the role of a clinical sore throat score in clinical management of streptococcal angina on a first visit to a primary care provider.


METHODS
This study included 168 patients. The sore throat score had 5 criteria: age, fever, absence of cough, tender anterior cervical nodes, tonsillar swelling or exudate. The score range is -1 to 5.


RESULTS
Of the 168 patients, 53 (31.5%) had a positive culture result for beta hemolytic streptococci. Compared with throat culture a score = 3 has a sensitivity of 62.,26% (95%CI: 47.9%-75.2%), a specificity of 78.26% (95%CI: 69.6%-85.4%). Efficiency of this score is 73.21%.


CONCLUSIONS
The clinical sore throat score may assist the primary care providers in estimating that a patient has streptococcal angina without replacing rapid antigenic testing or culture.
Stîngu
Cătălina Suzana
CS
Universitatea de Medicină şi Farmacie Gr T Popa Iaşi, Facultatea de Medicină Dentară, Disciplina de Microbiologie.
Turcu
Tatiana
T
Dimitriu
St
S
Dimitriu
Dana
D
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006801:Humans; D008487:Medical History Taking; D008875:Middle Aged; D010612:Pharyngitis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000628:therapy; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011320:Primary Health Care; D011379:Prognosis; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013290:Streptococcal Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000628:therapy*; D013297:Streptococcus pyogenes / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification*
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents