Table 1.
Characteristic of patients at index consultation. Values are numbers (percentages) unless stated otherwise
| Characteristics | Not given antibiotics | Given antibiotics | Delayed antibiotics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clinical assessment: | |||
| Mean (SD) severity of sore throat/difficulty swallowing (4 point Likert scale) | 2.93 (0.7) | 3.32 (0.6) | 3.06 (0.7) |
| Mean (SD) previous duration in days | 5.0 (6.5) | 4.6 (4.1) | 4.3 (3.3) |
| Mean (SD) age (years) | 34.7 (15.4) | 32.7 (14.2) | 34.1 (14.6) |
| Women | 3610/5243 (68.9) | 4147/6269 (66.2) | 1770/2501 (70.8) |
| Smoker | 1016/5212 (19.5) | 1445/6240 (23.2) | 481/2484 (19.4) |
| Fever in past 24 hours | 2279/4852 (47.0) | 4109/5704 (72.0) | 1268/2317 (54.7) |
| Mean (SD) temperature (°C) | 36.7 (0.6) | 37.0 (0.8) | 36.8 (0.6) |
| Pus on tonsils | 376/5213 (7.2) | 3751/6232 (60.2) | 654/2495 (26.2) |
| Severely inflamed tonsils | 86/4923 (1.8) | 1418/5855 (24.282) | 178/2344 (7.6) |
| Mean (SD) No of previous medical problems | 0.2 (0.5) | 0.2 (0.5) | 0.2 (0.4) |
| Return <4 weeks with new or worsening symptoms | 803/4974 (16.1) | 864/5932 (14.6) | 222/2382 (9.5) |
| Return <4 weeks with complications | 75/4974 (1.5) | 78/5932 (1.3) | 21/2382 (0.9) |
| Individual complications: | |||
| Quinsy | 11/4974 (0.2) | 30/5932 (0.5) | 6/2382 (0.3) |
| Sinusitis | 23/4974 (0.5) | 12/5932 (0.2) | 3/2382 (0.1) |
| Otitis media | 31/4974 (0.6) | 27/5932 (0.5) | 11/2382 (0.5) |
| Celluliltis or impetigo | 10/4974 (0.2) | 9/5932 (0.2) | 1/2382 (0.0) |
Denominators vary due to missing data.