Listen along as we dive into the many causes of sore throat. Learn about the common causes such as allergies and viral illnesses while also what to do when a child with epiglottitis comes in.  We will cover CENTOR criteria as well and when you should think about Group A strep testing.

Common Causes

• Viral Presentation
  • HSV
  • Mononucleosis
• Allergic Presentation
• Group A Strep 
  • CENTOR Criteria

Emergency Causes

• Peritonsillar Abscess
• Retropharyngeal Abscess
• Epiglottitis

Wrap Up & Conclusion

Resources/Links:

https://www.chop.edu/conditions-diseases/throat-anatomy-and-physiology 

https://www.mdcalc.com/calc/104/centor-score-modified-mcisaac-strep-pharyngitis 

References

1. Aluma Chovel-Sella, Amir Ben Tov, Einat Lahav, Orna Mor, Hagit Rudich, Gideon Paret, Shimon Reif; Incidence of Rash After Amoxicillin Treatment in Children With Infectious Mononucleosis. Pediatrics May 2013; 131 (5): e1424–e1427. 10.1542/peds.2012-1575
2. Becker JA, Smith JA. Return to play after infectious mononucleosis. Sports Health. 2014 May;6(3):232-8. doi: 10.1177/1941738114521984. PMID: 24790693; PMCID: PMC4000473.
3. Chowdhury MDS, Koziatek CA, Rajnik M. Acute Rheumatic Fever. [Updated 2023 Aug 2]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2024 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK594238/
4. Esposito, S.; De Guido, C.; Pappalardo, M.; Laudisio, S.; Meccariello, G.; Capoferri, G.; Rahman, S.; Vicini, C.; Principi, N. Retropharyngeal, Parapharyngeal and Peritonsillar Abscesses. Children 2022,9,618. https://doi.org/ 10.3390/children9050618 
5. Martin JM. The Mysteries of Streptococcal Pharyngitis. Curr Treat Options Pediatr. 2015 Jun;1(2):180-189. doi: 10.1007/s40746-015-0013-9. PMID: 26146604; PMCID: PMC4486489.
6. MCMILLAN, J. A. , WEINER, L. B. , HIGGINS, A. M. & LAMPARELLA, V. J. (1993). Pharyngitis associated with herpes simplex virus in college students. The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal, 12 (4), 280-283.
7. Mohseni M, Boniface MP, Graham C. Mononucleosis. [Updated 2023 Aug 8]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2024 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK470387/
8. Roggen I, van Berlaer G, Gordts F, et al. Centor criteria in children in a paediatric emergency department: for what it is worth. BMJ Open 2013;3: e002712. doi:10.1136/ bmjopen-2013-002712 

Links:

https://www.chop.edu/conditions-diseases/throat-anatomy-and-physiology

About the Speaker:

Host: Chris Stadnick, MD – Chris Stadnick, MD is a board-certified pediatrician at Metropolitan Pediatrics in Portland, Oregon. He earned his MD from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center and completed his pediatric residency at the University of Virginia.

Clerkship Ready: Pediatrics is a podcast aimed at medical students doing their clinical clerkship in Pediatrics. The views expressed are the speakers' own and do not constitute medical advice.