Eur Respir J 2006; 27:151-157
Copyright ©ERS Journals Ltd 2006
Validation of a predictive rule for the management of community-acquired pneumonia
A. Capelastegui1,
P. P. España1,
J. M. Quintana2,
I. Areitio3,
I. Gorordo1,
M. Egurrola1 and
A. Bilbao4
1 Service of Pneumology, 2 Research Unit, and 3 Dept of Emergency Medicine, Hospital de Galdakao, Galdakao, and 4 The Basque Foundation for Health Innovation and Research (BIOEF), Sondika, Bizkaia, Spain.
CORRESPONDENCE: A. Capelastegui, Service of Pneumology, Hospital de Galdakao, E-48960 Galdakao, Bizkaia, Spain. Fax: 34 944572327. E-mail: acapelas{at}hgda.osakidetza.net
Keywords: Community-acquired pneumonia, prediction rule, severity assessment
Received: May 30, 2005
Accepted October 16, 2005
The CURB-65 score (Confusion, Urea >7 mmol·L1, Respiratory rate 30·min1, low Blood pressure, and age 65 yrs) has been proposed as a tool for augmenting clinical judgement for stratifying patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) into different management groups.
The six-point CURB-65 score was retrospectively applied in a prospective, consecutive cohort of adult patients with a diagnosis of CAP seen in the emergency department of a 400-bed teaching hospital from March 1, 2000 to February 29, 2004. A total of 1,100 inpatients and 676 outpatients were included.
The 30-day mortality rate in the entire cohort increased directly with increasing CURB-65 score: 0, 1.1, 7.6, 21, 41.9 and 60% for CURB-65 scores of 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, respectively. The score was also significantly associated with the need for mechanical ventilation and rate of hospital admission in the entire cohort, and with duration of hospital stay among inpatients.
The CURB-65 score (Confusion, Urea >7 mmol·L1, Respiratory rate 30·min1, low Blood pressure, and age 65 yrs), and a simpler CRB-65 score that omits the blood urea measurement, helps classify patients with community-acquired pneumonia into different groups according to the mortality risk and significantly correlates with community-acquired pneumonia management key points. The new score can also be used as a severity adjustment measure.
This article has been cited by other articles:

|
 |

|
 |
 
S. Kruger, S. Ewig, J. Kunde, A. Hanschmann, R. Marre, N. Suttorp, T. Welte, and on behalf of the CAPNETZ study group
C-terminal provasopressin (copeptin) in patients with community-acquired pneumonia--influence of antibiotic pre-treatment: results from the German competence network CAPNETZ
J. Antimicrob. Chemother.,
July 1, 2009;
64(1):
159 - 162.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
J D Chalmers, A Singanayagam, M P Murray, C Scally, A Fawzi, and A T Hill
Risk factors for complicated parapneumonic effusion and empyema on presentation to hospital with community-acquired pneumonia
Thorax,
July 1, 2009;
64(7):
592 - 597.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
R Menendez, R Martinez, S Reyes, J Mensa, X Filella, M A Marcos, A Martinez, C Esquinas, P Ramirez, and A Torres
Biomarkers improve mortality prediction by prognostic scales in community-acquired pneumonia
Thorax,
July 1, 2009;
64(7):
587 - 591.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
P. P. E. Yandiola, A. Capelastegui, J. Quintana, R. Diez, I. Gorordo, A. Bilbao, R. Zalacain, R. Menendez, and A. Torres
Prospective Comparison of Severity Scores for Predicting Clinically Relevant Outcomes for Patients Hospitalized With Community-Acquired Pneumonia
Chest,
June 1, 2009;
135(6):
1572 - 1579.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
L. A. Diaz, E. M. Mortensen, A. Anzueto, and M. I. Restrepo
Review: Novel targets in the management of pneumonia
Therapeutic Advances in Respiratory Disease,
December 1, 2008;
2(6):
387 - 400.
[Abstract]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
S. Ewig and T. Welte
CRB-65 for the assessment of pneumonia severity: who could ask for more?
Thorax,
August 1, 2008;
63(8):
665 - 666.
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
J D Chalmers, A Singanayagam, and A T Hill
Systolic blood pressure is superior to other haemodynamic predictors of outcome in community acquired pneumonia
Thorax,
August 1, 2008;
63(8):
698 - 702.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
J. Bont, E. Hak, A. W. Hoes, J. T. Macfarlane, and T. J. M. Verheij
Predicting Death in Elderly Patients With Community-Acquired Pneumonia: A Prospective Validation Study Reevaluating the CRB-65 Severity Assessment Tool
Arch Intern Med,
July 14, 2008;
168(13):
1465 - 1468.
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
S. Kruger, S. Ewig, R. Marre, J. Papassotiriou, K. Richter, H. von Baum, N. Suttorp, T. Welte, and on behalf of the CAPNETZ Study Group
Procalcitonin predicts patients at low risk of death from community-acquired pneumonia across all CRB-65 classes
Eur. Respir. J.,
February 1, 2008;
31(2):
349 - 355.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
G. Barlow
Author's reply
Thorax,
November 1, 2007;
62(11):
1015 - 1015.
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
P. Collini, M. Beadsworth, J. Anson, T. Neal, P. Burnham, P. Deegan, N. Beeching, and A. Miller
Community-acquired pneumonia: doctors do not follow national guidelines
Postgrad. Med. J.,
August 1, 2007;
83(982):
552 - 555.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
M. S. Niederman
Recent Advances in Community-Acquired Pneumonia: Inpatient and Outpatient
Chest,
April 1, 2007;
131(4):
1205 - 1215.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
W. S. Lim
Severity assessment in community-acquired pneumonia: moving on
Thorax,
April 1, 2007;
62(4):
287 - 288.
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
S. Yan Man, N. Lee, M. Ip, G. E Antonio, S. S L Chau, P. Mak, C. A Graham, M. Zhang, G. Lui, P. K S Chan, et al.
Prospective comparison of three predictive rules for assessing severity of community-acquired pneumonia in Hong Kong
Thorax,
April 1, 2007;
62(4):
348 - 353.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
G. Barlow, D. Nathwani, and P. Davey
The CURB65 pneumonia severity score outperforms generic sepsis and early warning scores in predicting mortality in community-acquired pneumonia
Thorax,
March 1, 2007;
62(3):
253 - 259.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
W S Lim
Pandemic flu: clinical management of patients with an influenza-like illness during an influenza pandemic
Thorax,
January 1, 2007;
62(suppl_1):
1 - 46.
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
A. V. Kamath, P. K. Myint, S. L. Vowler, and B. D. W. Harrison
Is it time to rethink the urea criterion in CURB-65?
Eur. Respir. J.,
June 1, 2006;
27(6):
1321 - 1322.
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
S. Ewig, A. Torres, and M. Woodhead
Assessment of pneumonia severity: a European perspective
Eur. Respir. J.,
January 1, 2006;
27(1):
6 - 8.
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
M. S. Niederman, C. Feldman, and G. A. Richards
Combining information from prognostic scoring tools for CAP: an American view on how to get the best of all worlds.
Eur. Respir. J.,
January 1, 2006;
27(1):
9 - 11.
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|
Copyright © 2006 by the European Respiratory Society.
|