Background:

In Cuba, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the clinical scales for adult patients treatment with acute tonsillitis were put under test for not having rapid antigen detection tests, however, its use is still controversial.

Objective:

To describe the Centor scale application results in the care of patients with acute tonsillitis during COVID-19.

Methodology:

A case series study was conducted and it included acute tonsillitis patients diagnosed over a two year period in the Otorhinolaryngology external consultation at Camilo Cienfuegos Provincial General Hospital, Sancti Spíritus, Cuba. The Centor scale was applied to all of them.

Results:

It included 114 patients. The average age was 28.9 + 18.7 years, more than half of the patients had previous history of chronic tonsillitis and chronic adenoiditis and they were active smokers. Approximately 2 out of 5 patients had scores <3 according to the Centor scale.

Conclusions:

Acute tonsillitis was a health problem during COVID-19 and the Centor scale was an important tool for therapeutic decision in acute tonsillitis patients, even in absence of confirmatory evidence.

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