Health Dictionary
Reliable, easy-to-read patient information on common medical conditions — written in plain language, free of jargon, and grounded in current evidence. Browse the most frequent diagnoses, understand what they mean for everyday life, and learn which steps and questions help you have a focused conversation with your doctor.
Pharyngitis risk factors
Introduction
Overview
Overview
Pharyngitis is contagious, so anyone in close proximity to someone with the illness, is at risk. Social situations with prolonged close interpersonal contact are associated with a higher incidence of the disease, such as in schools, dormitories, or military barracks. Droplet spread has been postulated as the method of transmission, and outbreaks have been associated with contaminated food and water, but fomites are not thought to play a role. The degree of contagion is probably related.
Risk Factors
Risk Factors
Common risk factors for pharyngitis include:[1][2][3][4]
- History of ill contact
- Over crowding
- Frequent sinus infections
- Smoking
- Attending day care
- Immunocompromised
- Cold season
- Allergic rhinitis
- Gastroesophageal reflux disease
Less Common Risk Factors
Less Common Risk Factors
- Use of corticosteroids
- Oral sex
- Multiple sexual partners
- Unprotected sex
References
References
- ↑ Kline JA, Runge JW (1994) Streptococcal pharyngitis: a review of pathophysiology, diagnosis, and management. J Emerg Med 12 (5):665-80. PMID: 7989695
- ↑ Koch A, Mølbak K, Homøe P, Sørensen P, Hjuler T, Olesen ME et al. (2003) Risk factors for acute respiratory tract infections in young Greenlandic children. Am J Epidemiol 158 (4):374-84. PMID: 12915503
- ↑ Carapetis JR, Steer AC, Mulholland EK, Weber M (2005) The global burden of group A streptococcal diseases. Lancet Infect Dis 5 (11):685-94. DOI:10.1016/S1473-3099(05)70267-X PMID: 16253886
- ↑ Dajani A, Taubert K, Ferrieri P, Peter G, Shulman S (1995) Treatment of acute streptococcal pharyngitis and prevention of rheumatic fever: a statement for health professionals. Committee on Rheumatic Fever, Endocarditis, and Kawasaki Disease of the Council on Cardiovascular Disease in the Young, the American Heart Association. Pediatrics 96 (4 Pt 1):758-64. PMID: 7567345
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Aysha Anwar, M.B.B.S[2], Venkata Sivakrishna Kumar Pulivarthi M.B.B.S [3]