Sore-throat-codes-for-pharmacy-first (clone)
Metadata
- Coding system
- SNOMED CT (UK Clinical Edition)
- Coding system release
- 42.1.0
- Organisation
- Pharmacy First project
- Codelist ID
- pharmacy-first-project/sore-throat-codes-for-pharmacy-first-clone
- Version ID
- 0061e9b3
- Number of codes included
- 137
About
Description
Codes that a GP could use to record that a patient has presented with acute sore throat, or a condition that might cause a acute sore throat. This includes conditions ( bacterial and/or non bacterial ) that can result in antimicrobials prescribing in GP practices or community pharmacies.
Updated with new codes June 10 ,2026
Methodology
Cloned from codelist : [Sore-throat-and-related-conditions-for-pharmacy-first]
Context: Pharmacy First Inclusion/exclusion criteria: Cloned from codelist: Sore throat and related conditions for Pharmacy First and originally derived from the OpenSAFELY codelist: Symptoms: sore throat.Codes were identified using initial search terms outside OpenCodelists including:“throat”, “pharyngitis”,“tonsil”,and “laryngitis”. Clearly irrelevant codes were excluded following clinical review, including review by a second clinician.
We excluded:Chronic conditions, Neurological conditions related to glossopharyngeal neuralgia: Glossopharyngeal neuralgia (43763009),Neuralgia of left glossopharyngeal nerve (16057351000119103), Neuralgia of right glossopharyngeal nerve (16057391000119108), Tuberculosis-related conditions affecting the pharynx, larynx, or tonsils.
We also excluded terms indicating disease, disorder, enlargement, hypertrophy, or hyperplasia of throat structures where these did not necessarily represent a symptomatic sore throat presentation.
Borderline cases: Laryngitis is included in the sore throat definition, as patients may commonly present with laryngitis symptoms and describe them as a "sore throat." "Common cold" is also included because a patient may present with sore throat as part of a common cold and it may be the common cold that is coded.
Sensitivity vs specificity: The aim of this codelist to be reasonably sensitive to presentations that might suggest a presentation with acute sore throat
Additional information: This codelist retains the designation "Sore Throat" used by NHS England in the Pharmacy First service for consistency with the official documentation. However, the included codes are intended to capture acute sore throat, as specified in the Community Pharmacy Advanced Service Specification: NHS Pharmacy First Service(NHS Pharmacy First – clinical pathways pdf)
References
- Wiegand S, Dietz A. Vincent’s Angina. Dtsch Arztebl Int. 2022 Dec;119(48):838. doi: 10.3238/arztebl.m2022.0289. Epub 2022 Dec 2. PMCID: PMC10074262.
- NHS England Pharmacy Service
- Community pharmacy advanced service specification: NHS Pharmacy First Service
Signed off by
- Arnaud Iradukunda, (May 2, 2026)
- Tony Avery, (June 11, 2026)
Codelists are developed by a broad community of users for individual study purposes, which may or may not meet the needs of other studies. They should not be thought of as universal definitions of a particular condition.
We don't offer any guarantees about what they do or don't identify. Users should carefully check that any codelist meets their needs, and seek clinical input where appropriate.
| code | term |
|---|---|
| 102453009 | Peritonsillar cellulitis |
| 10351008 | Suppurative tonsillitis |
| 10629231000119109 | Recurrent acute streptococcal tonsillitis |
| 1078251001 | Recurrent pharyngitis |
| 111816002 | Pneumococcal tonsillitis |
| 11461005 | Staphylococcal tonsillitis |
| 1296672005 | Acute infective pharyngitis caused by Streptococcus |
| 139656008 | Throat symptoms (& sore throat symptom) |
| 139658009 | Has a sore throat |
| 139660006 | Sore throat symptom NOS |
| 139668004 | Pain in throat |
| 139670008 | Throat irritation |
| 141458004 | Inflamed throat |
| 14969004 | Catarrhal laryngitis |
| 1532007 | Viral pharyngitis |
| 155497009 | (Acute nasopharyngitis) or (common cold) or (acute coryza) or (acute rhinitis) or (sniffles) or (snuffles) |
| 155502006 | Throat: [acute pharyngitis] or [infection NOS] or [sore] |
| 155503001 | Acute tonsillitis |
| 155504007 | Recurrent acute tonsillitis |
| 155505008 | Acute laryngitis and tracheitis |
| 155506009 | Acute laryngitis |
| 158299009 | [D]Throat pain |
| 162386003 | Throat soreness (& symptom) |
| 162388002 | Has a sore throat |
| 162390001 | Sore throat symptom NOS |
| 162397003 | Pain in throat |
| 162400007 | Throat irritation |
| 164261009 | Inflamed throat |
| 17741008 | Acute tonsillitis |
| 186357007 | Streptococcal sore throat with scarlatina |
| 186659004 | Herpangina |
| 186675001 | Viral pharyngoconjunctivitis |
| 195648002 | (Acute nasopharyngitis or rhinitis) or (common cold) |
| 195654001 | Throat: [acute pharyngitis] or [sore NOS (& viral)] or [infection] |
| 195656004 | Acute phlegmonous pharyngitis |
| 195657008 | Acute ulcerative pharyngitis |
| 195658003 | Acute bacterial pharyngitis |
| 195659006 | Acute pneumococcal pharyngitis |
| 195660001 | Acute staphylococcal pharyngitis |
| 195662009 | Acute viral pharyngitis |
| 195664005 | Acute pharyngitis NOS |
| 195665006 | Tonsillitis (& acute) |
| 195666007 | Acute erythematous tonsillitis |
| 195667003 | Acute follicular tonsillitis |
| 195668008 | Acute ulcerative tonsillitis |
| 195669000 | Acute catarrhal tonsillitis |
| 195671000 | Acute bacterial tonsillitis |
| 195672007 | Acute pneumococcal tonsillitis |
| 195673002 | Acute staphylococcal tonsillitis |
| 195676005 | Acute viral tonsillitis |
| 195677001 | Recurrent acute tonsillitis |
| 195678006 | Acute tonsillitis NOS |
| 195679003 | Acute laryngitis and tracheitis |
| 195680000 | Acute edematous laryngitis |
| 195681001 | Acute ulcerative laryngitis |
| 195682008 | Acute catarrhal laryngitis |
| 195683003 | Acute phlegmonous laryngitis |
| 195684009 | Acute laryngitis caused by Haemophilus influenzae |
| 195685005 | Acute pneumococcal laryngitis |
| 195686006 | Acute suppurative laryngitis |
| 195690008 | Acute laryngitis NOS |
| 195703007 | Acute laryngitis and tracheitis NOS |
| 195706004 | Tracheopharyngitis |
| 195707008 | Tracheopharyngitis |
| 195709006 | Pharyngolaryngitis |
| 195923003 | Influenza with laryngitis |
| 195924009 | Influenza with pharyngitis |
| 198691000000108 | Acute obstructive laryngitis |
| 206949003 | [D]Throat pain |
| 214081000000107 | Acute obstructive laryngitis |
| 232399005 | Acute herpes simplex pharyngitis |
| 232401004 | Glandular fever pharyngitis |
| 232402006 | Meningococcal pharyngitis |
| 232403001 | Chlamydial pharyngitis |
| 232417005 | Vincent's tonsillitis |
| 232426008 | Acute simple laryngitis |
| 232428009 | Acute membranous laryngitis |
| 232429001 | Acute subglottic laryngitis |
| 240444009 | Fusobacterial necrotizing tonsillitis |
| 240547000 | Lymphonodular coxsackie pharyngitis |
| 266377009 | (Acute nasopharyngitis) or (common cold) or (acute coryza) or (acute rhinitis) or (sniffles) or (snuffles) |
| 266379007 | Throat: [acute pharyngitis] or [infection NOS] or [sore] |
| 266381009 | Acute respiratory infection: [NOS] or [pharyngotracheitis] or [tracheopharyngitis] |
| 267102003 | Sore throat |
| 267180009 | Throat symptoms (& sore throat symptom) |
| 27321001 | Acute pharyngitis |
| 275488008 | Chronic sore throat |
| 276443001 | Acute laryngitis and/or tracheitis |
| 27878001 | Follicular tonsillitis |
| 281795003 | Inflamed tonsils |
| 302911003 | Acute lingual tonsillitis |
| 304521001 | Sore throat |
| 312423006 | Infective laryngitis |
| 31309002 | Respiratory syncytial virus pharyngitis |
| 32904004 | Pneumococcal laryngitis |
| 363746003 | Acute pharyngitis |
| 367427004 | Acute pharyngitis, NOS |
| 37616004 | Pharyngitis |
| 405737000 | Pharyngitis |
| 40766000 | Enteroviral lymphonodular pharyngitis |
| 408669002 | Acute laryngitis with obstruction |
| 41048006 | Haemophilus influenzae laryngitis |
| 415724006 | Tonsillitis caused by Gram negative bacteria |
| 41582007 | Streptococcal tonsillitis |
| 43878008 | Streptococcal sore throat |
| 441551009 | Inflammation of larynx caused by virus |
| 45913009 | Laryngitis |
| 497121000000103 | [D]Throat pain |
| 51209006 | Viral tonsillitis |
| 51388003 | Pharyngeal pain |
| 51476001 | Nasopharyngitis |
| 542861000000102 | Sore throat symptom NOS |
| 55355000 | Acute laryngopharyngitis |
| 58031004 | Suppurative pharyngitis |
| 59221008 | Parainfluenza virus rhinopharyngitis |
| 603091000000105 | Acute laryngitis NOS |
| 603131000000108 | Acute laryngitis and tracheitis NOS |
| 607921000000102 | Acute pharyngitis NOS |
| 623471000000106 | Acute tonsillitis NOS |
| 6655004 | Acute laryngitis |
| 703468005 | Bacterial tonsillitis |
| 70385007 | Adenoviral pharyngoconjunctivitis |
| 721586007 | Pharyngotonsillitis caused by Human herpes simplex virus |
| 76651006 | Pneumococcal pharyngitis |
| 78430008 | Adenoviral pharyngitis |
| 78911000 | Parainfluenza virus pharyngitis |
| 82228008 | Staphylococcal pharyngitis |
| 82272006 | Common cold |
| 82690000 | Suppurative laryngitis |
| 85083002 | Streptococcal laryngitis |
| 85832003 | Parainfluenza virus laryngitis |
| 86773000 | Edematous laryngitis |
| 878818001 | Pharyngotonsillitis |
| 90176007 | Tonsillitis |
| 921000172108 | Acute sore throat |
| 92971000087109 | Inflammation of pharynx caused by Streptococcus pyogenes |
| 95885008 | Mycoplasmal pharyngitis |