Flu or strep? Rapid tests can mislead

[摘要] A 62-year-old woman presented to our emergency department with fever, chills,hoarseness, pain on swallowing, and a painfulneck. Her symptoms had begun 1 day earlier.Because acetaminophen brought no improvement, she went to an urgent care facility, wherea nasal swab polymerase chain reaction test waspositive for infl uenza A, and a throat swab rapidtest was positive for group A streptococci. Shewas then referred to our emergency department.She reported no pre-existing conditionspredisposing her to infection. Her temperaturewas 99.9°F (37.7°C), pulse 112 beats per minute, and respiratory rate 24 breaths per minute.The physical examination was unremarkableexcept for bilateral anterior cervical adenopathy and bilateral anterior neck tenderness. Herpharynx was not injected, and no exudate, palatal edema, or petechiae were noted.

[学科分类] 卫生学