Table.
Factors predicting prolonged course of sore throat (over five days after seeing doctor)
| Clinical/demographic features | No (%) with prolonged course | No (%) with short course | Crude odds ratio (95% CI) | Adjusted odds ratio* (95% CI) | Likelihood ratio test (P value)* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sociodemographic | |||||
| Age >12 | 177/211 (84) | 251/366 (69) | 2.39 (1.55 to 3.66) | 2.09 (1.33 to 3.28) | 10.9 (0.001) |
| Sex (female) | 143/211 (68) | 222/368 (60) | 1.38 (0.97 to 1.98) | 1.35 (0.93 to 1.97) | 2.48 (0.12) |
| Further education | 82/210 (39) | 138/356 (39) | 1.01 (0.71 to 1.44) | 0.77 (0.52 to 1.13) | 1.79 (0.18) |
| Clinical | |||||
| Initial antibiotics (group 1 v others) | 70/211 (33) | 144/368 (39) | 0.77 (0.54 to 1.10) | 0.85 (0.58 to 1.25) | 0.69 (0.40) |
| Ill for >3 days before consultation | 98/209 (47) | 119/363 (33) | 1.81 (1.28 to 2.57) | 1.51 (1.04 to 2.18) | 4.75 (0.03) |
| Pharyngitis | 135/211 (64) | 239/368 (65) | 0.96 (0.67 to 1.37) | 0.89 (0.61 to 1.29) | 0.38 (0.54) |
| Purulent tonsils | 32/211 (15) | 62/368 (17) | 0.88 (0.55 to 1.40) | 0.96 (0.59 to 1.57) | 0.03 (0.87) |
| Cervical glands | 101/211 (48) | 208/368 (57) | 0.71 (0.50 to 0.99) | 0.86 (0.60 to 1.25) | 0.60 (0.44) |
| Temperature >37.5°C | 22/149 (15) | 76/280 (27) | 0.46 (0.28 to 0.78) | 0.58 (0.33 to 1.03) | 3.57 (0.06) |
| Cough | 153/211 (73) | 226/368 (61) | 1.66 (1.15 to 2.39) | 1.61 (1.10 to 2.37) | 5.99 (0.01) |
| Dysphagia | 152/201 (76) | 243/355 (68) | 1.43 (0.97 to 2.11) | 1.41 (0.93 to 2.13) | 2.71 (0.10) |
| Breese scorecard score >25 3 | 118/171 (69) | 167/260 (64) | 1.24 (0.82 to 1.87) | 1.07 (0.69 to 1.67) | 0.09 (0.76) |
| 3/5 of symptom complex† | 25/143 (17) | 69/269 (26) | 0.61 (0.37 to 1.02) | 0.90 (0.49 to 1.66) | 0.12 (0.73) |
| Psychosocial | |||||
| Satisfaction with consultation: | |||||
| Very satisfied | 131/206 (64) | 269/363 (74) | 1.00‡ | 1.00¶ | 7.05 (0.008) |
| Moderately | 56/206 (27) | 78/363 (21) | 1.47 (0.98 to 2.20) | 1.39 (0.92 to 2.1) | |
| Slightly | 12/206 (6) | 12/363 (3) | 2.05 (0.89 to 4.68) | 2.10 (0.90 to 4.90) | |
| Not at all satisfied | 7/206 (3) | 5/363 (1) | 2.87 (0.89 to 9.20) | 2.86 (0.87 to 9.41) | |
| Legitimation for work or school very or moderately important 3 | 123/205 (60) | 218/361 (60) | 1.01 (0.71 to 1.44) | 1.03 (0.72 to 1.49) | 0.03 (0.87) |
*
Adjusted for age, duration before consultation, cough, and satisfaction.
†
Presence of 3/5 of following symptoms: temperature >37.5°C, dysphagia, tender cervical glands, no cough, purulent exudate.3 ‡z for trend 2.9, P=0.004.
¶
z for trend 2.65, P=0.008.
Other variables not significant in univariate analysis and not presented in the table are: inflamed tonsils, tender cervical glands, faucial or palatal inflammation, and fetor.