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Antibiotics for sore throat
C B Del Mar1, P P Glasziou, A B Spinks
1Bond University, Faculty of Health Sciences and Medicine, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. cdelmar@staff.bond.edu.au
The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews
|October 21, 2006
Summary
Antibiotics offer some benefits for sore throat, reducing symptom duration and preventing complications like acute otitis media. However, the overall benefit is modest, with many patients not needing antibiotics.
Area of Science:
- Evidence-based medicine
- Infectious diseases
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Sore throat is a frequent reason for medical visits, often treated with antibiotics despite spontaneous resolution.
- Primary care physicians frequently prescribe antibiotics for sore throat, necessitating an assessment of their efficacy.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the benefits of antibiotic therapy for patients experiencing sore throat.
- To determine the impact of antibiotics on symptom duration and the incidence of complications.
Main Methods:
- Systematic review of randomized controlled trials from CENTRAL, DARE, MEDLINE, and EMBASE.
- Inclusion criteria focused on trials comparing antibiotics to placebo for sore throat, measuring symptom relief and complications.
Main Results:
- Antibiotics reduced suppurative complications like acute otitis media and quinsy.
- Symptom duration was shortened by approximately 16 hours, with a number needed to treat of under six for symptom relief by day 3.
- Antibiotic effectiveness was greater when Streptococcus was identified via throat swabs.
Conclusions:
- Antibiotics provide relative but modest absolute benefits for sore throat treatment.
- Widespread antibiotic use for sore throat in Western societies yields limited overall benefit due to the low incidence of complications.
- In regions with high rates of acute rheumatic fever, antibiotic use may be more beneficial.
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