Symptoms: are they correlated with Centor/McIsaac Score in the diagnosis of pharyngotonsillitis?

Abstract

Objective: Group A beta hemolytic streptococcus (GABHS) is identified in 20-40% of cases of childhood pharyngitis. The Centor/McIsaac score is an important scoring method used in the early diagnosis of patients presenting with symptoms of Group A beta hemolytic streptococcus (GABHS) pharyngitis. In this study, we aimed to determine the relationship between Centor/McIsaac score and patients’ symptoms, and to investigate any conformity between Rapid Antigen Test positivity and high Centor/McIsaac score. Materials and methods: Data were obtained retrospectively by scanning the files of patients (age 2 to 18 years) diagnosed with GABHS who were hospitalized between May and December 2017. Inclusion criteria were, being between the ages of 2 and 18 years and to be diagnosed with group A beta hemolytic streptococcal pharyngitis. Receiving antibiotic treatment within the last 14 days, being under 2 years of age and over 18 years of age are exclusion criteria. Daily clinical findings and test results (complete blood count, neutrophil and lymphocyte percentages, rapid antigen test, throat culture) were collected from medical records. The Centor/McIsaac scores calculated according to symptoms and rapid antigen test results used for GABHS antigen detection from throat swab samples, used for the initiation of effective treatment and to shorten hospitalization, were recorded from patient files. Student's t test was used to analyze the data that showed normal distribution among independent groups. The chi-square test was used for the analysis of categorical variables. P<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: A total of 236 patients were included in the study. The average age of the patients was 7 years. The frequency of pharyngitis symptoms was similar in patients younger and older than 7 years of age. There was no statistically significant difference between those younger and older than 7 years of age in terms of throat culture positivity (p=0.059). There was no statistically significant difference between Centor/McIsaac scores of the two age groups (p=0.063). The Centor/McIsaac score (3.62±1.01) of those with positive rapid antigen test was significantly higher than that of those with negative rapid antigen test (2.78±1.28) (p=0.001). Centor/McIsaac scores of those with and without fever, those with and without tonsillar hypertrophy, those with and without cough were also compared. Centor/McIsaac scores of those with fever (3.53±1.02) were higher compared to those without (1.63±0.89) (p=0.001), scores were higher in those with tonsillar hypertrophy (3.68±1.01) compared to those without (2.10±0.97) (p=0.001), and scores were again higher in those without cough (3.67±1.07) compared to those with cough (2.22±0.99) (p<0.001). Conclusion: The intensity of symptoms seen in GABHS infection leads to higher Centor/McIsaac scores. The correlation between rapid antigen test results and Centor/McIsaac score shows the increasing importance of Centor/McIsaac score in early diagnosis of GABHS pharyngitis.