Antibiotics, sore throats and rheumatic fever

From a retrospective study of hospital records, it is calculated that the present incidence of rheumatic fever in Scottish children is 0.6 per 100 000 per year. This is in keeping with recent research from other developed communities. An attempt is made to assess the relative risk of developing rheumatic fever after antibiotic-treated streptococcal sore throats and non-antibiotic-treated streptococcal sore throats. The risk in both cases is low (probably in the order of 1:30 000) and there is no evidence that prescribing antibiotics for prodromal sore throats confers benefit.