Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of patients in the three treatment groups. Values are numbers (percentages) of children unless otherwise indicated
|
Duration of penicillin treatment per group
|
|||
|---|---|---|---|
| Seven days (n=46) | Three days (n=54) | Placebo group (n=56) | |
| Mean age in years (SD) | 9.9 (3.8) | 10.5 (3.8) | 10.1 (3.9) |
| Male | 20 (44) | 20 (37) | 30 (54) |
| Healthcare insurance | 32 (70) | 34 (63) | 36 (64) |
| Resident in cities >30 000 inhabitants | 21 (46) | 22 (41) | 28 (50) |
| Presented to general practitioner in October-March | 28 (61) | 42 (78) | 37 (66) |
| Sore throat >3 days | 30 (65) | 29 (54) | 33 (59) |
| Fever (reported) | 43 (94) | 49 (91) | 47 (84) |
| Absence of cough | 34 (74) | 37 (69) | 40 (71) |
| Absence from school | 28 (72) | 37 (69) | 40 (74) |
| Tonsillar exudate | 35 (76) | 43 (79) | 42 (75) |
| Cervical lymph nodes | 43 (94) | 53 (97) | 54 (96) |
| All four Centor criteria present | 19 (41) | 24 (44) | 25 (45) |
| History of tonsillectomy | 2 (4) | 3 (6) | 2 (4) |
| Throat culture: | |||
| Positive for group A streptococci | 28 (70) | 26 (48) | 43 (77) |