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Should young adults with sore throat be treated with antibiotics?
Abstract
The diagnosis of streptococcal sore throat on clinical grounds remains a problem. In this study the clinical prediction in a group of young adults corresponded with laboratory findings indicative of a streptococcal (group A or non-A) infection in 23% of cases. The culture of throat swabs was of little value, as the only group A culture-positive patient did not show an antibody response, indicating a carrier state. Ln 5 cases a streptococcal infection was diagnosed on rising antibody titres only, as culture remained negative. The value of rising antibody titres as a diagnostic tool is also questioned, since they occurred more frequently in the healthy controls than in the sore-throat group. Antibiotic treatment for sore throat was rarely supported by laboratory findings in the young adult population studied.
