Streptococcal pharyngitis in general practice. 1. Some unusual features of the epidemiology

This report is based on a study of acute infections of the upper respiratory tract in 1965 and detailed records of such infections in 1963 and 1964. A change from illnesses mainly yielding viruses to illnesses mainly yielding group A streptococci was noted around the age of 5 years. A positive cultu...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Epidemiology and infection 1992-10, Vol.109 (2), p.181-189
Main Author: Higgins, P. M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Age Factors
Age groups
Child
Child, Preschool
Children
Cultural groups
Diseases
England - epidemiology
Family Practice
Female
General practice
Humans
Incidence
Infant
Infections
Infectious Diseases
Life Sciences & Biomedicine
Male
Middle Aged
Pharyngitis
Pharyngitis - blood
Pharyngitis - epidemiology
Pharyngitis - microbiology
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Science & Technology
Sex Factors
Streptococcal infections
Streptococcal Infections - blood
Streptococcal Infections - epidemiology
Streptococcal Infections - microbiology
Streptococcus pyogenes
Throat
Viruses
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:This report is based on a study of acute infections of the upper respiratory tract in 1965 and detailed records of such infections in 1963 and 1964. A change from illnesses mainly yielding viruses to illnesses mainly yielding group A streptococci was noted around the age of 5 years. A positive culture for group A streptococci in patients over 4 years of age was highly correlated with a complaint of sore throat and with serological evidence of streptococcal infection. A bimodal age distribution curve for pharyngitis associated with a positive culture for group A streptococci was consistently noted. The incidence was highest in children aged 5–9 but a second smaller peak occurred among adults in the 30–39 age group. The evidence suggests that being female increases the risk of acquiring group A streptococci and of experiencing sore throat.
ISSN:0950-2688
1469-4409
DOI:10.1017/S0950268800050147