Centor criteria

Centor criteria

(sent′ŏr) [R.M. Centor, contemporary U.S. physician] A clinical prediction rule used in the diagnosis of streptococcal pharyngitis (strep throat). It includes four elements: fever above 100.5°F (41°C); no cough; exudates on the tonsils; and tenderness in the anterior cervical lymph nodes. The likelihood of strep throat is greater than 40% when all four elements are present. It is less than 3% in patients with just one element. Patients with two or three of the criteria should be evaluated further with rapid antigen tests or throat culture before antibiotics are prescribed.