بررسی قدرت Rapid test در تشخیص فارنژیت استرپتوکوکی

Background: Streptococcal pharyngitis is the most common type of acute bacterial pharyngitis that may have different complications if remained untreated. On the other hand, antibiotics may impose side effects if prescribed for healthy subjects, thus, the appropriate diagnosis of affected individuals is of utmost importance. Previous studies have indicated the accuracy of Rapid Test for streptococcal pharyngitis, so the present study was conducted to determine the accuracy of Rapid Test among a group of Iranians. Materials and methods: For this clinical trail, 320 consecutive cases of sore throat were enrolled. Rapid Test was performed for all cases however, culture was our gold standard for diagnosis. Finally, positive predictive value and negative predictive value were calculated. Results: The study population included 150 males and 170 females with the mean age of 217 years. The positive and negative predictive values of Rapid test were 66% and 98.5% respectively. Conclusion: With respect to the known complications of acute pharyngitis, we strongly recommend Rapis test for all patients with sore throat.