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Risk factors

By Mayo Clinic staff

Several factors can increase your risk of strep throat infection:

  • Young age. Strep throat occurs most commonly in children between the ages of 5 and 15.
  • Time of year. Although strep throat can occur anytime of the year, it tends to circulate in late fall and early spring. Strep bacteria flourish wherever groups of people are in close contact. That's why the infection spreads easily among family members, in schools and in child care settings.
Complications Causes
References
  1. Sore throat. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/getsmart/antibiotic-use/uri/sore-throat.html. Accessed Sept. 17, 2012.
  2. Pichichero ME. Complications of streptococcal tonsillopharyngitis. http://www.uptodate.com/index. Accessed Sept. 17, 2012.
  3. Sore throats. American Academy of Otolaryngology — Head and Neck Surgery. http://www.entnet.org/HealthInformation/soreThroats.cfm. Accessed Sept. 17, 2012.
  4. Alter SJ, et al. Common childhood bacterial infections. Current Problems in Pediatric and Adolescent Health Care. 2011;41:256.
  5. Strep throat. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. http://www.niaid.nih.gov/topics/strepThroat/Pages/Default.aspx. Accessed Sept. 18, 2012.
  6. Kliegman RM, et al. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 19th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2011. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/208746819-6/0/1608/0.html. Accessed Sept. 20, 2012.
  7. Bope ET, et al. Conn's Current Therapy. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2012. http://www.mdconsult.com/books/about.do?eid=4-u1.0-B978-1-4377-0986-5..C2009-0-38984-9--TOP&isbn=978-1-4377-0986-5&about=true&uniqId=236797353-5. Accessed Sept. 19, 2012.
  8. Group A streptococcal (GAS) disease. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dbmd/diseaseinfo/groupastreptococcal_g.htm. Accessed Sept. 19, 2012.
  9. Sore throat? Know when to call the doctor. American Osteopathic Association. http://www.osteopathic.org/osteopathic-health/about-your-health/health-conditions-library/general-health/Pages/sore-throat.aspx. Accessed Sept. 20, 2012.
  10. Pichichero ME. PANDAS: Pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorder associated with group A streptococci. http://www.uptodate.com/index. Accessed Sept. 17, 2012.
  11. Clinical practice guideline for the diagnosis and management of group A streptococcal pharyngitis: 2012 Update by the Infectious Diseases Society of America.Infectious Disease Society of America. Arlington, Va. http://www.idsociety.org/uploadedFiles/IDSA/Guidelines-Patient_Care/PDF_Library/2012%20Strep%20Guideline.pdf. Accessed Sept. 17, 2012.
  12. Pichichero ME. Treatment and prevention of streptococcal tonsillopharyngitis. http://www.uptodate.com/index. Accessed Sept. 17, 2012.
  13. Steckelberg JM (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Oct. 2, 2012.
DS00260 Dec. 20, 2012

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