LiverpoolMedics - Resource for Liverpool Medics - Students Studying Medicine in Liverpool UK

The CURB-65 score is a clinical prediction tool that estimates the risk of mortality in community acquired pneumonia and infection of any site. The British Thoracic Society recommends its use for the assessment of severity of pneumonia. The risk of death at 30 days increases as the score increases. The CURB-65 score is used as a means of deciding whether a patient could be treated at home or will require hospitalisation for their infection.

You must give information about all five criteria - confusion, urea level, respiratory rate, blood pressure and age - in order to achieve a CURB-65 score.

Confusion*:

Yes

No

Urea** >20mg/dL (7mmol/L):

Yes

No

Respiratory Rate ≥30:

Yes

No

Blood Pressure (systolic <90 or diastolic ≤60):

Yes

No

Age ≥65 years:

Yes

No

*Defined as an Abbreviated Mental Test Score ≤8 or new disorientation to person, place, or time.

**Urea is blood urea nitrogen [BUN], expressed in mg/dL or serum urea concentration, expressed in mmol/L.

References

Lim WS, van der Eerden MM, Laing R, et al. Defining community acquired pneumonia severity on presentation to hospital: an international derivation and validation study. Thorax. 2003 May;58(5):377-82.
Lim WS, Baudouin SV, George RC, et al. BTS guidelines for the management of community acquired pneumonia in adults: update 2009. Thorax. 2009 Oct;64 Suppl 3:iii1-55.
Qureshi KN, Hodkinson HM. Evaluation of a ten-question mental test in the institutionalized elderly. Age Ageing. 1974 Aug;3(3):152-7.

Last Update: 31 January 2008