Data collection and Procedures
Baseline clinical features, symptoms, and signs were obtained via a review of the patients’ electronic medical records. The degree of sore throat was checked using the manner of Numeral Rating Scale (NRS), ranging from 0 to 10, where 0 is no pain and 10 is the worst pain imaginable. If radiologic (Chest x-ray) and laboratory tests such as white blood cell counts, were conducted, these data were also collected. Because rapid streptococcal antigen tests were not available at this hospital, it was not performed for any of the patients. Patients were orally or intramuscularly administered a single dose of 10 mg of dexamethasone as an adjuvant therapy with conventional treatment such as anti-pyretics and anti-histamines. The clinician decided to offer antibiotic prescriptions with the usual instruction. All patient treatment prescriptions were recorded.