• Mostafa Alavi-Moghaddam, Hooman Bakhshi, Bareza Rezaei, and Patricia Khashayar.
• Imam Hossein Hospital, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
• Braz J Infect Dis. 2013 Mar 1;17(2):179-83.

ObjectiveTo compare the prognostic value of the pneumonia severity index and the severity score for community-acquired pneumonia (CURB-65) in predicting mortality and the need for ICU admission of patients with community-acquired pneumonia referred to our emergency department.Materials And MethodsThis prospective study was performed on patients with community-acquired pneumonia admitted to the emergency department of Imam Hossein Medical Center, Tehran, Iran. A questionnaire with demographic information, clinical signs and symptoms, laboratory and radiographic findings was completed for each patient. The information required for calculating the pneumonia severity index and CURB-65 were extracted from the medical records. The patients' clinical outcome was also recorded within a month after admission.ResultsWe studied 200 patients with community-acquired pneumonia (122 men, 78 women). The sensitivity and specificity of CURB-65 in predicting mortality were 100% and 82.3%, respectively. As for pneumonia severity index, the rates were 100% and 75%, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity rates of CURB-65 and pneumonia severity index in predicting mortality and need for ICU admission were 96.7% and 89.3%, and 90% and 78.7%, respectively.ConclusionCURB-65 seems to be the preferred method to predict mortality and need for ICU admission in patients with community-acquired pneumonia. Despite their comparable specificity and sensitivity, CURB-65 is much easier to implement.Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.

20 keywords...

hide…