Acute pharyngitis - The rapid onset of sore throat and pharyngeal inflammation (with or without exudate)

Aetiology

commonly due to viral organisms or group A streptococcus.

• Common viral causes:
  • EBV
  • adenovirus
  • enterovirus
  • Influenza A or B
• Other bacteria found rarely in adolescents with pharyngitis include Mycoplasma species, Fusobacterium necrophorum, and Arcanobacterium haemolyticum.
• HIV, chlamydia, or gonorrhoea may be implicated as a cause of acute pharyngitis in sexually active adolescents or sexually abused children.
• In low- and middle-income countries, diphtheria and measles are also prominent causes of acute pharyngitis.

Risk factors:

• Children
• sexual acitivity or abuse
• Ingestion of partialy cooked/uncooked meats (tularaemia)
• immunocomprimised
• use of inhaled CS
• lack of immunisation

PC

• sore throat
• rhinorrhoea, nasal congestion, cough - in viral infection