Loco-regional Complications of Pharyngitis in Children: a National Case-Control Study
Loco-regional Complications of Pharyngitis in Children: a National Case-Control Study
To study the association between several exposures of interest and the occurrence of
 infectious loco-regional complications of pharyngitis in children.
Investigators will include in the study (after agreement of child and parents):

 -  Cases: children < 18 years old hospitalized for peripharyngeal suppurations, diffuse
 cervical cellulitis or cervical adenophlegmon in participating Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT)
 and pediatric departments.

 -  Controls: children < 18 years old with pharyngitis but without infectious complications
 recruited by general practitioners (GPs) or by primary care pediatricians in private
 setting, matched to cases by age, date of infectious complication (index date), delay
 between the pharyngitis and the index date and, if possible, the referring physician.

 Primary endpoint: Difference in the frequency of exposure to various factors among cases and
 controls during an exposure window going from the date of diagnosis of pharyngitis to day
 -0.5 of the index date of the complication.

 Several exposure of interest will be compared between cases and controls. One specific main
 exposure of interest during a predefined window of exposure has been defined but will not be
 revealed to investigators to avoid selection bias. Several secondary exposure of interest
 were a priori defined but will not be revealed to investigators to avoid selection bias.
Inclusion Criteria:

 Cases: children < 18 years old hospitalized for peripharyngeal suppurations, diffuse
 cervical cellulitis or cervical adenophlegmon in participating Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT) and
 pediatric departments.

 Controls: children < 18 years old with pharyngitis but without infectious complications
 recruited by general practitioners (GPs) or by primary care pediatricians in private
 setting, matched to cases by age, date of infectious complication (index date), delay
 between the pharyngitis and the index date and, if possible, the referring physician.

 Exclusion Criteria:

 Children (cases or controls) with chronic renal failure, hemophilia, chronic
 thrombocytopenia or immunosuppression (constitutional or iatrogenic) at the time of
 pharyngitis