The Centor criteria help determine the probability of which infection?

The Centor criteria help determine the probability of which infection?

• A. Epiglottitis risk
• B. Probability of group A streptococcal pharyngitis
• C. Probability of otitis media
• D. Probability of sinusitis

Answer: (B)

Estimating the likelihood that a sore throat is caused by group A streptococcus. The Centor criteria use four clinical features: fever, tonsillar exudates, tender anterior cervical adenopathy, and absence of cough. Each feature adds weight, so having more criteria increases the probability of GAS pharyngitis. In practice, this helps decide whether to perform a rapid strep test or throat culture and whether antibiotics are warranted. A modified version adds age to improve accuracy. This tool is specific to streptococcal pharyngitis and is not used to predict risk for epiglottitis, otitis media, or sinusitis, which present with different signs.

Estimating the likelihood that a sore throat is caused by group A streptococcus. The Centor criteria use four clinical features: fever, tonsillar exudates, tender anterior cervical adenopathy, and absence of cough. Each feature adds weight, so having more criteria increases the probability of GAS pharyngitis. In practice, this helps decide whether to perform a rapid strep test or throat culture and whether antibiotics are warranted. A modified version adds age to improve accuracy. This tool is specific to streptococcal pharyngitis and is not used to predict risk for epiglottitis, otitis media, or sinusitis, which present with different signs.