Do Patients with Pharyngitis Need to Be Treated with Antibiotics?

Acute pharyngitis SHOULD NOT typically be treated with antibiotics. The great majority of cases are viral in origin

  • MYTH#1: Antibiotics reduce symptomology – NO THEY DON’T (Steroids DO)
  • MYTH #2: Antibiotics reduce the rate of suppurative complications – NO THEY DON’T (Little 2013).

Clinical Bottom Line:

We are far more likely to HARM patients with pharyngitis by giving antibiotics than to help them

  • 1 in 10 patients will develop antibiotic associated diarrhea (some of these will be C. diff)
  • Severe allergic reactions occur in 0.24% of patients – This means that out of 10 million patients treated with antibiotics, as many as 24,000 of them will have fatal or near-fatal allergic reactions.

Thus, it’s important to determine if the benefits of antibiotic treatment outweigh the risks.

Emergency Medicine Kenya Foundation

Join Our Newsletter

Please complete this form to create an account, receive email updates and much more.
Contact Email *
First Name *
Last Name *
Facility or Organisation *
Designation or Occupation *
County or City *
Country *
Mobile number 
*
*Required Fields
I agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. It is our responsibility to protect your privacy and we guarantee that your data will be completely confidential.
Strengthening emergency healthcare systems in Kenya to save lives.