Key Predictors of Rheumatic Fever in Patients with Sore Throat

Takeaway

• Risk factors for developing rheumatic fever (RF) in patients with sore throat (ST) in endemic areas include a positive group A streptococcal (GAS) swab, history of previous RF, and a cardiac murmur.

Why this matters

• There are no recent data on primary care populations with ST in low- and middle-income countries to identify which individuals are at risk of developing RF or rheumatic heart disease to inform guidelines on antibiotic prescriptions.

Study design

• UK researchers performed a meta-analysis of 7 studies (3 randomised controlled trials; 4 observational studies), including 6890 participants, identified through a search across electronic databases.

• Funding: None.

Key results

• Risk factors associated with the development of RF following ST were (OR; 95% CI):

  • Positive GAS swab (1.74; 1.13-2.69; P=.01);

  • previous RF history (13.22; 4.86-35.93; P<.00001); and

  • cardiac murmur (3.55; 1.81-6.94; P=.0002).

Limitations

• Heterogeneity among studies.

This clinical summary originally appeared on Univadis, part of the Medscape Professional Network.

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Any views expressed above are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect the views of WebMD or Medscape.

Cite this: Pavankumar Kamat. Key Predictors of Rheumatic Fever in Patients with Sore Throat - Medscape - Oct 26, 2021.