CURB-65 Pneumonia Severity
Score community-acquired pneumonia severity and get a matching antibiotic recommendation aligned to Nigeria STG 2022.
CURB-65 scores how severe a case of community-acquired pneumonia is, and the tool pairs that score directly with a management plan and antibiotic regimen — not just a number. See How Calculator Tools Work for the shared layout.
Inputs
Five yes/no criteria — one point each:
- Confusion
- Uraemia — blood urea nitrogen elevated (>7 mmol/L / >19 mg/dL)
- Respiratory rate ≥ 30/min
- Blood pressure low — systolic <90 or diastolic ≤60
- Age 65 or over
Score = number of criteria met, out of 5.
Reading the result
| Score | Risk | Management | Antibiotics |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0–1 | Low | Consider home treatment with oral antibiotics; review in 48 hours | Amoxicillin 500mg TDS × 5 days (or Doxycycline if atypical suspected) |
| 2 | Moderate | Hospital assessment recommended; consider short-stay admission | Amoxicillin 500mg TDS + Clarithromycin 500mg BD × 7 days, or Co-amoxiclav 625mg TDS × 7 days |
| 3–5 | High | Hospitalise urgently; consider ICU for score 4–5 | IV Co-amoxiclav 1.2g TDS + Clarithromycin 500mg BD |
A low score (0–1) can understate severity in patients over 75 or who are immunocompromised — the tool flags this explicitly and recommends using clinical judgment alongside the score in those cases, not the score alone.
Once you have a CURB-65 score, a "Use in Antibiotic Advisor" link carries it straight into Antibiotic Stewardship Advisor, which auto-selects mild/moderate/severe CAP guidance from the score rather than making you re-enter severity.
References
Lim WS et al. Thorax. 2003;58(5):377-382. Nigeria STG 2022, CAP section.