| Nature of Patient | All ages | Children < 6yrs | All ages, most common 12-21years of age | Uncommon in children < 2yo, peak incidence: 6-12 years of age | Sexually abused children, sexually active adolescents |
| Predisposing Factors | Fall, Winter, Spring | Summer | Fall & Winter, exposure to GAGHS | Engaging in oral sex with infected individual | |
| Onset | Gradual | Follows fever | Gradual (85% present with sore throat) | Abrupt | Gradual |
| Fever | Low grade or absent | Abrupt onset of moderate to high fever | Low grade | moderate grade | Absent |
| Associated with URI | Yes | Negative | Negative | Negative | Negative |
| Pharyngeal erythema | Mild | Mild-Moderate | Mild-severe | moderate-severe | Minimal |
| Tonsillar enlargement | Minimal | Negative | Mild-severe | moderate-severe | Minimal |
| Exudate | 50% | Negative | 33%, may be extensive | 50-80% | Minimal |
| Vesicles/ulcers | Negative | Positive, involving anterior tonsillar pillars, soft palate, tonsils, and uvula | Negative | Negative | Negative |
| Rash | Negative | Vesicles/ulcers on palms of hands/soles of feet suggests hand-foot-mouth disease | Erthythematous, maculopapular rash 3-5 days following onset | Scarletinaform (if associated with scarlet fever) | Negative |
| Other findings | General malaiseCervical lymphadenopathy | Dysphasia 2-3 days following fever. May be severe | Palatal petechiae (early)Posterior cervical lymphadenopathy (early)
Generalized lymphadenopathy (later)Abdominal pain Nausea/vomiting/ anorexia Headache Splenomegaly - 70% Hepatomegaly - 50% | Palatal petechiaeAnterior cervical lymphadenopathy - 30-50%Abdominal pain
Nausea/vomiting/ anorexia Headache Dysphasia | Cervical lymphadenopathy may be present |
| Complications | Dehydration | AOM, lymphadenitis, peritonsillar abscess, ARF, AGN | Disseminated gonococcemia |