Non-steroids anti-inflammatory drugs and risk of peritonsillar abscess in pharyngitis: a French longitudinal study in primary care.

Background: The safety of non-steroids anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in the context of pharyngitis is doubtful with contradictory results in the literature.

Objective: To evaluate the risk of peritonsillar abscess (PTA) associated to NSAIDs consumption during a pharyngitis episode observed in primary care.

Method: A retrospective cohort study using Observatory of General Medicine Datalink from 1995 to 2010. All patients consulting a GP from the Datalink network for pharyngitis have been included. The occurrence of a PTA in the 15 days following the consultation for pharyngitis was matched. The association between PTA and prescriptions of NSAIDs was studied via an adjusted logistic regression model.

Results: During the study period, 105 802 cases of pharyngitis and 48 cases of PTA following a pharyngitis were reported, concerning respectively 67 765 and 47 patients. In the multivariate analysis, the risk of PTA was associated positively with a NSAIDs prescription (OR = 2.9, 95% CI = 1.6-5.2). Other factors associated with PTA occurrence were the prescription of corticosteroids (OR = 3.1, 95% CI = 1.3-7.6) and an age between 20 and 40 years (OR = 5.7, 95% CI = 2.5-13.0). The prescription of antibiotics was not significantly associated with PTA (P = 0.7).

Conclusion: Prescription of NSAIDs in pharyngitis may increase the risk of PTA. This study encourages considering cautiously the balance between benefits and harms before prescription of NSAIDs for pharyngitis.