When children with a sore throat present symptoms strongly suggestive of viral illness, such as a runny nose (rhinorrhea), cough or a hoarse voice, a throat swab is unlikely to change management, as these children seldom have ‘Strep Throat’ as the cause of their sore throat.
Conditions: Viral pharyngitis, Strep throat
Diagnostic Tests: Throat swab
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Sources
- Ebell MH, Smith MA, Barry HC, et al. The rational clinical examination. Does this patient have strep throat? JAMA. 2000 Dec 13;284(22):2912-8. (PubMed)
- Shulman ST, Bisno AL, Clegg HW, et al. 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. 2012 Nov 15;55(10):1279-82. (PubMed)
- Tanz RR, Gerber MA, Kabat W, et al. Performance of a rapid antigen-detection test and throat culture in community pediatric offices: implications for management of pharyngitis. Pediatrics. 2009 Feb;123(2):437-44. (PubMed)