Lemierre syndrome

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Lemierre syndrome

ORPHA:137839Disease

Also called Lemierre postanginal sepsis · Postanginal sepsis secondary to orophyngeal infection · Septic phlebitis of the internal jugular vein

What it is

Lemierre syndrome is a rare, potentially lethal, oropharyngeal infectious disease occurring in immunocompetent adolescents and young adults that is mainly due to Fusobacterium necrophorum and that is characterized by septic thrombophlebitis of the internal jugular vein that leads to septic, usually pulmonary, embolism, associated with ENT (ear, nose, and throat) infection that manifests with fever, neck pain, and tonsillopharyngitis.

Key facts

Prevalence
1-5 / 10 000 (annual incidence, Denmark)
Age of onset
Adolescent
Classified as
Disease

Prevalence figures describe populations, not individuals, and are often estimates from a single study. Where the figure is an incidence or a birth prevalence, it says so.

ICD-10 codes

I80.8filed under a broader ICD-10 category

Related health topics

Reached through the ICD-10 categories this disease is filed under, so these describe the broader group rather than this disease specifically.

Cross-references

GARD 6882MEDDRA 10065552MESH D057831MONDO 0015306UMLS C0343525

Orphadata Science: Free access data from Orphanet. © INSERM 1999. Data version 2026-06-23. Available under CC BY 4.0. This is a reference, not medical advice.

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