A Management Strategy for Sore Throat

THE CLINICIAN often regards the problem of a sore throat as intellectually trivial and clinically unimportant. Neither attitude is justified. Many etiologic agents remain to be identified, the differential diagnosis is difficult, determination of a treatment strategy is complicated, and the symptom of a sore throat can be associated with or lead to serious illness. Primarily because of its prevalence, sore throat is also a costly problem. Data from the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, coupled with cost studies by our group, suggest that as much as $300 million per year may be spent on laboratory tests and medications ordered for this problem. A recognition of the substantial costs involved makes it imperative that the actions taken by clinicians in the evaluation and treatment of patients with sore throat be carefully scrutinized. I will present an explicit strategy for management, while discussing some important aspects of the diseases in question.