Sore throat resident survival guide

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Synonyms and keywords:

Overview

Sore throat is one of the most common complaints among patients visiting their primary care physicians. In the United States, approximately 12 million ambulatory care visits are due to sore throat annually. It mostly occurs in children and adolescents. The etiology is mostly acute self- limiting viral infection. Group A streptococcal infection is the most common causative bacteria for acute pharyngitis in adults. As a physician, it is important to identify clinical signs for life-threatening airway obstruction and deep tissue infection and treat them promptly. This section provides a short and straight to the point overview of the sore throat in adults.

Causes

Life Threatening Causes

Life-threatening causes include conditions that may result in death or permanent disability within 24 hours if left untreated.

• Does not include any known cause.

Common Causes

• Viral upper respiratory tract infection (Adenovirus, rhinovirus, coronavirus, enterovirus, influenza A and B, parainfluenza virus, respiratory syncytial virus, and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2).
• Group A streptococcal (GAS) infection
• Group C and G Streptococcus infection
• Arcanobacterium haemolyticum
• Fusobacterium necrophorum
• Mycoplasma and Chlamydia species
• Corynebacterium diphtheriae
• Acute HIV infection
• Neisseria gonorrhoeae
• Epstein-Barr virus and other herpes viruses cytomegalovirus (CMV) and herpes simplex virus (HSV)
• allergic rhinitis, sinusitis
• gastroesophageal reflux disease
• smoking
• inhalation of dry air (particularly in winters)
• Vocal strain
• Medications: Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, chemotherapeutic drugs

Diagnosis

Shown below is an algorithm summarizing the diagnosis of sore throat in adults:

Are Alarming clinical signs for upper airway obstruction or deep neck infection present? “Hot potato” voice Drooling Stridor Respiratory distress “Tripod position” Fever and chills Severe unilateral sore throat Bulging of the pharyngeal wall or soft palate History of penetrating trauma to the neck Lockjaw Crepitus Neck stiffness

Yes

No

Stabilize ABC and refer patient urgently to emergency or inpatient care unit

Are clinical signs for Viral URTI (including conjunctivitis, coryza, cough, viral exanthem and voice hoarseness) present?

Yes

No

Manage patient with supportive care.

Does patient have clinical features of GAS throat infection? Fever (temperature ≥100.4 degrees F) Acute onset of sore throat Inflammation and edema of tonsillopharyngeal and uvular mucosa Tonsillar and peritonsillar yellow or white exudates Painful cervical lymphadenopathy Scarlatiniform rash History of GAS exposure

Yes

Uncertain

No

Apply Centor criteria for patient's clinical signs and symptoms. Is score ≥3?

Yes

No

Perform Rapid antigen detection test

Consider other viral, bacterial or noninfectious causes of sore throat. The illness is mostly self-limiting and specific tests for diagnosis are not carried out.

Positive

Negative

Perform throat culture in patients with any of the following risk factors: Patient with weak immune system or history of complications of GAS infection i.e. acute rheumatic fever. Patients in close contact with individuals who have a high risk of complications (i.e. infants and immunocompromised elderly population) Young adults living in close proximity (i.e. college dormitories) Patients residing in endemic areas of acute rheumatic fever Patient with negative RADT but with Centor criteria scores ≥3

Treatment

Shown below is an algorithm summarizing the treatment of sore throat in adults according to the Infectious Diseases Society of America guidelines.

Does patient have strong clinical suspicion for viral URTI?

No

Yes

Is patient having clinical picture suggestive of GAS pharyngitis along with positive RADT?

Manage patient with supportive care including analgesics, hot fluids, lozenges, and soft diet.

Yes

No

Treat patients with empirical antibiotic course for 10 days The drug of choice is 500mg oral penicillin V two or three times a day. Benzathin G penicillin intramuscular injection can be administered as a single dose. Cephalosporins or Macrolides should be given to patients experiencing allergic reactions with penicillin.

Provide supportive care to the patients. If the patients have risk factors suggestive of other causes (i.e. acute HIV infection, gonorrhea, or non-infectious causes), perform relevant investigations.

Do's

• Physicians should administer antibiotics with judicious care in patients with a sore throat due to the risk of developing adverse reactions and bacterial resistance in the community. A physician should only prescribe antibiotics in patients with high clinical suspicion for GAS or those with positive rapid antigen detection test and throat culture.
• Antibiotics reduce the severity of symptoms and fasten the rate of recovery in the patients. The primary goal of treatment with antibiotics is to reduce the incidence of complications with GAS infection.
• The Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA) has recommended the use of aspirin, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NS-AIDs), or acetaminophen as supportive therapy for alleviation of pain. The randomized clinical trials have shown NSAIDs as a more effective option for the relief of symptoms compared to acetaminophen.

Don'ts

• The content in this section is in bullet points.