This Article  • Full text  • Full text PDF  • Send to a friend  • Save in My Folder  • Save to citation manager  • Permissions  Citing Articles  • Citing articles on HighWire  • Citing articles on ISI (6)  • Contact me when this article is cited  Related Content  • Similar articles in this journal

Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 1998;152:927-928.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

Acute pharyngitis is one of the most common problems encountered by the practicing pediatrician. When managing these patients, it is important to distinguish between those children with viral pharyngitis (usually 70% of the cases) and those children with group A -hemolytic streptococcal (GABHS) pharyngitis. Children with viral pharyngitis will not benefit from antimicrobial therapy. The inappropriate use of such therapy in these patients generates an unnecessary expense, exposes the child to the risk of adverse reactions, and may contribute to the selection of antimicrobial-resistant organisms in the upper respiratory tract. In contrast, antimicrobial therapy for children with GABHS pharyngitis reduces the risk of nonsuppurative (eg, acute rheumatic fever) and suppurative (eg, peritonsillar abscess) complications, reduces the risk of transmission to contacts, and shortens the clinical course of the illness.¹

Numerous attempts have been made to distinguish GABHS from viral pharyngitis based on clinical features. Investigators have examined individual clinical findings . . . [Full Text of this Article]

Patients, Materials, and Methods


Results

Comment
Corresponding author: Michael A. Gerber, MD, Connecticut Children's Medical Center, 282 Washington St, Hartford, CT 06106 (e-mail: mgerber@harthosp.org).

THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES

Acute Pharyngitis
Bisno
NEJM 2001;344:205-211.
FULL TEXT