Sore throat: Common yet confusing one!

How would you differentiate between a viral and bacterial sore throat in a primary care setup?

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By evaluating and examining these symptoms we can rule out viral or bacterial sore throat.
Bacterial/Strep sore throat have severe pain.
Viral sore throat have cold and cough.

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Insightful

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Common sense approach because viral infections are much more common than bacterial. But be alert about the possibility of bacterial while avoiding indiscriminate use of antibiotics.

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Nicely explained @Adwaitha

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Very informative

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Informative

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Viral sore throat typically has gradual onset, mild pain, and associated symptoms like runny nose and cough.

Bacterial sore throat (strep throat) has sudden onset, severe pain, high fever, and tonsillar exudates.

Centor Criteria and Rapid Antigen Detection Tests can help diagnose strep throat.

Throat culture is the gold standard for diagnosis.
Viral cases require symptomatic treatment, while bacterial cases may need antibiotics. Clinical judgment guides management decisions.

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This table clearly differentiates between the two!!

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After this I don’t think I’d ever forget the difference henceforth. Thankyou :tada:

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Highly informative and very nicely explained.

Nice information.

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