Penicillin for acute sore throat: randomised double blind trial of seven days versus three days treatment or placebo in adults.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

To assess whether treatment with penicillin for three days and the traditional treatment for seven days were equally as effective at accelerating resolution of symptoms in patients with sore throat compared with placebo.

Design

Randomised double blind placebo controlled trial.

Setting

43 family practices in the Netherlands.

Participants

561 patients, aged 15-60 years, with sore throat for less than seven days and at least three of the four Centor criteria-that is, history of fever, absence of cough, swollen tender anterior cervical lymph nodes, and tonsillar exudate. 142 patients were excluded for medical reasons and 73 needed penicillin.

Interventions

Patients were randomly assigned to penicillin V for seven days, penicillin V for three days f

SUBMITTER: Zwart S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC27262 | biostudies-literature | 2000 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature