Group A streptococcal tonsillopharyngitis burden in a tertiary Turkish hospital

Ozkaya-Parlakay A., Uysal M., KARA A.

TURKISH JOURNAL OF PEDIATRICS, vol.54, no.5, pp.474-477, 2012 (SCI-Expanded) identifier identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 54 Issue: 5
  • Publication Date: 2012
  • Journal Name: TURKISH JOURNAL OF PEDIATRICS
  • Journal Indexes: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus
  • Page Numbers: pp.474-477
  • Hacettepe University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

Acute tonsillopharyngitis is a very common upper respiratory tract infection and might cause serious morbidity and even mortality if not handled properly. Although the etiologic agent is mostly viral, group A beta hemolytic streptococcus is the most important bacterial agent, with a frequency of 15-30% in the pediatric age group. In this article, as the social burden for this infection is notable and almost one-third of costs are estimated to be non-medical, we applied a questionnaire to the parents of 100 proven group A tonsillopharyngitis patients to describe the social cost of this infection.