This is an excerpt from a blog originally published on Evidently Cochrane.
In this guest blog for the general reader, retired GP Lynda Ware looks at the latest evidence on detecting and treating ‘strep throat’.
I recently visited the beautiful city of Prague with its magnificent Gothic cathedral dedicated to St Vitus. Memories of medical student revision were stirred and I remembered St Vitus’ Dance – or, more prosaically, Sydenham’s chorea – a rare but serious consequence of an infection with Group A Streptococcus. The condition earned its name because it is characterised by rapid, uncoordinated movements mainly affecting the face, hands and feet. St Vitus is the patron saint of dancers.
Sore throat is a common condition and more often than not is caused by a virus. Streptococcus pyogenes, a Group A Streptococcus (GAS, for short), is the commonest bacterial cause and accounts for 5-15% of sore throats in adults and around 20-40% in children. It is estimated that during winter and spring in temperate climates up to 20% of school age children with no symptoms at all carry these bacteria in their throats...