
Am Fam Physician. 2022;105(6):online
Author disclosure: No relevant financial relationships.

Details for This Review
Efficacy End Points: Sore throat at day 3 and one week, fever at day 3, headache at day 3, rheumatic fever within two months, glomerulonephritis within one month, peritonsillar abscess (quinsy) within two months, acute otitis media within 14 days, and acute sinusitis within 14 days

Benefits | Harms |
---|---|
An additional 1 in 6 patients will have resolution of sore throat by day 3 | No harm end points were reported or quantified |
An additional 1 in 18 patients will have resolution of sore throat by 1 week |
Narrative: The two most common causes of sore throat are viruses and bacteria, with viruses causing up to 45% of cases.2,3 For viral infections, supportive care is the best treatment.3 Some bacterial infections of the throat warrant antibiotic therapy (e.g., group A streptococci, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Fusobacterium necrophorum, or Corynebacterium diphtheriae infection) to reduce symptoms and prevent complications.2,3 This Cochrane review provides an updated look at the effect of antibiotics in patients presenting with a sore throat.1
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