In the CURB-65 pneumonia severity score, which feature is assigned 1 point to determine outpatient versus hospital admission?

Answer and explanation

Correct answer: B. Blood urea nitrogen greater than 19 mg/dL

  1. Step 1: CURB-65 is a validated risk score for community-acquired pneumonia predicting 30-day mortality.
  2. Step 2: The acronym components are Confusion (1), Urea > 19 mg/dL or > 7 mmol/L (1), Respiratory rate >= 30/min (1), Blood pressure systolic < 90 or diastolic <= 60 mmHg (1), and Age >= 65 years (1).
Answer
Blood urea nitrogen greater than 19 mg/dL.
Why not the others: Serum creatinine is not an element of the CURB-65 score, which specifically uses blood urea nitrogen. Tachycardia is an important physiological sign in triage but is not included in the CURB-65 calculation. Leukocytosis is omitted from the score to ensure rapid clinical bedside assessment.

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