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.
Strep throat history and symptoms
Introduction
Overview
Overview
The hallmark of strep throat is the sudden onset of sore throat and high-grade fever with the absence of cough. A positive history of ill contact with strep throat and overcrowding (e.g., school, military recruit) may be suggestive of group A streptococcal pharyngitis.[1][2][3]
History and Symptoms
History and Symptoms
The hallmark of strep throat is sudden onset of sore throat. A positive history of ill contact with strep throat and overcrowding (school, military recruit) may be suggestive of group A streptococcal pharyngitis. The most common symptoms of strep throat include:[1][2][3]
- High-grade fever
- Difficulty swallowing
- Headache
- Abdominal pain
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Tender cervical lymphadenopathy
- Red and enlarged tonsils
- Red and black patches in the throat
- Halitosis
- Rash[4]
- Frequent cold chills
- Absence of cough
Centor criteria
Centor criteria
The Centor criteria determines the likelihood of a patient having a strep throat infection based on various history and physical examination findings, as follows:
| Modified Centor criteria | Appropriate management according to the total score | ||||
| Criteria | Points | Total score | Chance of streptococcal infection in community
with usual levels of infection, % |
Suggested management | |
| Fever (temperature > 38°C) | +1 | 0 | 2-3% | No culture or antibiotic is required | |
| Absence of cough | +1 | 1 | 4-6% | ||
| Swollen and tender anterior cervical nodes | +1 | 2 | 10-12% | RADT or Culture and treat only if culture result is positive | |
| Tonsillar swelling or exudates | +1 | 3 | 27-28% | ||
| Age 3–14 yr | +1 | 4 | 38–63% | Culture all and treat empirically with penicillin on clinical grounds | |
| Age 15–44 yr | 0 | ||||
| Age ≥ 45 yr | -1 | ||||
References
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 http://www.cdc.gov/groupastrep/diseases-hcp/strep-throat.html Accessed on October 18, 2016
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Pfoh E, Wessels MR, Goldmann D, Lee GM (2008). “Burden and economic cost of group A streptococcal pharyngitis”. Pediatrics. 121 (2): 229–34. doi:10.1542/peds.2007-0484. PMID 18245412.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Shulman ST, Bisno AL, Clegg HW, Gerber MA, Kaplan EL, Lee G; et al. (2012). “Clinical practice guideline for the diagnosis and management of group A streptococcal pharyngitis: 2012 update by the Infectious Diseases Society of America”. Clin Infect Dis. 55 (10): e86–102. doi:10.1093/cid/cis629. PMID 22965026.
- ↑ Kids Health
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Aysha Anwar, M.B.B.S[2]