Table 1.
Demographics of the Participants Included in the Validation Phase (Validation Cohort) and the Focused Analysis Comparing Antibody Levels Between Different Disease States (Focused Analyses Cohort)
| Validation Cohort | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Characteristic | Healthy | GAS-Positive Pharyngitis/Skin Infection | ARF | |
| Total No. | 90 | 145 | 79 | |
| Study | RF RISK, GAS skin/throat | GAS skin/throat | RF RISK | |
| Age, y, median (range) | 11 (6–19) | 9 (5–14) | 11 (5–19) | |
| Sex, M/F | 53/37 | 80/65 | 55/24 | |
| Ethnic group | ||||
| Māori/Pacific | 73 | 102 | 79 | |
| Othera | 17 | 43 | … | |
| Focused Analyses Cohort | ||||
| Characteristic | Healthy | GAS-Positive Pharyngitis | GAS-Positive Skin Infection | ARF |
| Total No. | 73 | 65 | 37 | 54 |
| Study | RF RISK | GAS skin/throat | GAS skin/throat | RF RISK |
| Age, y, median (range) | 12 (6–19) | 9 (5–14) | 8 (5–14) | 11 (5–19) |
| Sex, M/F | 45/28 | 36/29 | 16/21 | 38/16 |
| Ethnic group, Māori/Pacific | 73 | 65 | 37 | 54 |
| Time since infection, d, median (range) | … | 29 (24–34) | 30 (25–45) | … |
| Time since hospital admission, d, median (range) | … | … | … | 13 (2–26)b |
Abbreviations: ARF, acute rheumatic fever; GAS-positive, group A Streptococcus-culture positive; RF, rheumatic fever.
Participants belonging to ethnic group “Other” (non-Māori and non-Pacific ethnic background, primarily New Zealand European).
Assuming ARF occurs 2–4 weeks after a GAS infection, the median days from the precursor infection in the early ARF group was estimated to correspond to between 27 and 41 days.