Diagnosis and Management of Group a Streptococcal Pharyngitis in the United States, 2011-2015.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Clinical guidelines for the diagnosis of group A streptococcal (GAS) pharyngitis recommend the use of a rapid antigen detection test (RADT) and/or bacterial culture. This study evaluated the overall diagnosis and treatment of acute pharyngitis in the United States, including predictors of test type and antibiotic prescription.

Methods

A retrospective analysis of pharyngitis events from 2011 through 2015 was conducted using the MarketScan commercial/Medicare databases. A pharyngitis event was defined as occurring within 2 weeks from the index visit. Patient and provider characteristics were examined across 5 testing categories: RADT, RADT plus culture, other tests, nucleic acid amplification testing (NAAT), and no test. Multivariate models were used to identify sig

SUBMITTER: Luo R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6390592 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature