About CURB-65 Score
When to Use
- For patients with community-acquired pneumonia
- To assess disease severity
- To guide treatment decisions
- To determine need for hospitalization
- To identify low-risk patients suitable for outpatient care
Pearls/Pitfalls
- Quick and simple to use
- Validated in multiple studies
- May underestimate severity in young patients
- Does not account for hypoxemia or comorbidities
- Clinical judgment should always be used alongside the score
Why Use
- Helps standardize pneumonia assessment
- Guides site-of-care decisions
- Predicts 30-day mortality
- Easy to remember and calculate
- Widely used internationally
About the Score
CURB-65 Score
Developed by the British Thoracic Society, this scoring system helps assess the severity of community-acquired pneumonia. The acronym stands for: Confusion, Urea >7 mmol/L (>19 mg/dL), Respiratory rate ≥30, low Blood pressure, and age ≥65.
Each component is worth 1 point, with a total possible score of 0-5. Higher scores indicate greater severity and mortality risk.
Calculate CURB-65 Score
Results
Mortality Risk by CURB-65 Score
| Score | Mortality Risk | Recommended Action |
|---|---|---|
| 0-1 | Low (1.5%) | Consider outpatient treatment |
| 2 | Moderate (9.2%) | Consider hospital admission |
| 3 | Severe (22%) | Hospitalize |
| 4-5 | Very Severe (>30%) | Consider ICU admission |