Study Design and Patients
This retrospective study included 40 military patients presenting to the
Victory hospital of the 15th infantry division of the army with acute
sore throat symptoms from May 1 to December 31, 2019. Included patients
were aged 18 years or older, prescribed a single dose of oral or
intramuscular dexamethasone, and hospitalized for at least 1 day in the
short-term care center of the hospital. Patients suspected to have
infection complications, determined via a lung sound crackle, chest
X-ray haziness, peritonsillar abscess, or thrombophlebitis in the
internal jugular vein, were excluded. This study was approved by the
Institutional Review Board (IRB) of the Republic of Korea Army
(AFMC-20042-IRB-20-042) and performed in accordance with the amended
Declaration of Helsinki. Because this study was a retrospective
analysis, the informed consent requirement was waived by the IRB.