Table 1. Baseline Characteristics of Eligible Patients.
| All Patients | Antibiotic Prescription | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Not Offered | Delayed Prescription Offered | |||||
| Dexamethasone (n = 288) |
Placebo (n = 277) |
Dexamethasone (n = 173) |
Placebo (n = 169) |
Dexamethasone (n = 115) |
Placebo (n = 108) |
|
| Age, median (IQR), y | 33.7 (26.3-45.8) | 34.3 (26.0-45.0) | 36.7 (27.0-48.3) | 37.0 (27.5-48.1) | 31.8 (24.0-43.2) | 31.9 (24.5-40.3) |
| Men, No. (%) | 67 (23.3) | 73 (26.4) | 42 (24.3) | 46 (27.2) | 25 (21.7) | 27 (25.0) |
| Working or in school, No. (%) | 217 (75.3) | 217 (78.3) | 122 (70.5) | 134 (79.3) | 95 (82.6) | 83 (76.9) |
| Smoker, No. (%) | 52 (18.1) | 51 (18.4) | 28 (16.2) | 26 (15.4) | 24 (20.9) | 25 (23.2) |
| Study center, No. (%) | ||||||
| Bristol | 79 (27.4) | 72 (26.0) | 47 (27.2) | 46 (27.2) | 32 (27.8) | 26 (24.1) |
| Oxford | 143 (49.7) | 139 (50.2) | 90 (52.0) | 89 (52.7) | 53 (46.1) | 50 (46.3) |
| Southampton | 66 (22.9) | 66 (23.8) | 36 (20.8) | 34 (20.1) | 30 (26.1) | 32 (29.6) |
| Duration of sore throat, mean (SD), d | 3.86 (1.67) | 3.91 (1.79) | 3.99 (1.68) | 4.14 (1.85) | 3.7 (1.60) | 3.5 (1.60) |
| Duration of pain on swallowing, median (IQR), d | 3 (2-4) | 3 (2-4) | 3 (2-4) | 3 (2-5) | 3 (2-4) | 3 (2-4) |
| Pharyngeal inflammation, No. (%) | 254 (88.2) | 248 (89.5) | 144 (83.2) | 148 (87.6) | 110 (95.8) | 100 (92.6) |
| Self-report of moderate or severe sore throat, No. (%) | 277 (96.2) | 268 (96.8) | 165 (95.4) | 164 (97.0) | 112 (97.4) | 104 (96.3) |
| Self-report of moderate or severe difficulty swallowing, No. (%) | 198 (68.9) | 196 (70.8) | 114 (65.9) | 113 (66.9) | 84 (73.0) | 83 (76.9) |
| Tonsils visible on examination, No. (%) | 201 (69.8) | 190 (68.6) | 113 (65.3) | 110 (65.1) | 88 (76.5) | 80 (74.1) |
| Purulent tonsils, No. (%) | 30 (10.4) | 31 (11.2) | 11 (6.4) | 5 (3.0) | 19 (16.5) | 26 (24.1) |
| Temperature, mean (SD), °C | 36.8 (0.5) | 36.8 (0.6) | 36.7 (0.5) | 36.8 (0.5) | 36.9 (0.5) | 36.8 (0.7) |
| Centor score, No. (%)a | ||||||
| ≥3 | 41 (14.2) | 40 (14.4) | 14 (8.1) | 12 (7.1) | 27 (23.5) | 28 (25.9) |
| ≥4 | 7 (2.4) | 7 (2.5) | 3 (1.7) | 0 | 4 (3.5) | 7 (6.5) |
| Throat swab culture positive for streptococcus, No. (%) | ||||||
| Group A | 30 (11.5) | 33 (13.6) | 17 (11.0) | 16 (11.0) | 13 (12.3) | 17 (17.5) |
| Group C | 7 (2.7) | 10 (4.1) | 4 (2.6) | 3 (2.1) | 3 (2.8) | 7 (7.2) |
| Group G | 1 (0.4) | 3 (1.2) | 1 (0.7) | 1 (0.7) | 0 (0) | 2 (2.1) |
| Total, No. (%)b | 38 (14.6) | 46 (19.0) | 22 (14.3) | 20 (13.8) | 16 (15.1) | 26 (26.8) |
Abbreviation: IQR, interquartile range.
a
The Centor score (range, 0-4) uses the following criteria: presence of tonsillar exudate, tender anterior cervical lymphadenopathy or lymphadenitis, history of fever, and absence of cough. A score of 3 or 4 indicates a higher likelihood of a bacterial sore throat.
b
Sixty-three swabs were lost in transit (28 dexamethasone, 35 placebo); thus, the percentage of swabs positive for streptococcus that were received is reported herein.