Community-acquired pneumonia · Clinical score
The CURB-65 score is a five-criterion bedside severity tool for community-acquired pneumonia. Each item contributes one point, the total places the patient in one of three published severity bands, and the band shapes the next decision in the pneumonia pathway — outpatient management, short inpatient stay, or escalation to ICU-level care. The band breakdown below mirrors the published stratification, and the tool beneath it adds up the five criteria live.
The five CURB-65 criteria each carry one point: C — Confusion (new disorientation or impaired consciousness); U— Urea > 7 mmol/L (renal dysfunction surfaced by a basic metabolic panel); R — Respiratory rate ≥ 30; B— Blood pressure low (SBP < 90 mmHg or DBP ≤ 60 mmHg); and 65 — Age ≥ 65. The total maps onto a low, moderate, or high band that estimates 30-day mortality and points to the appropriate setting of care.
CURB-65 was derived in immunocompetent adults with community-acquired pneumonia. It is not validated for nosocomial or aspiration pneumonia, and it does not weigh comorbidities such as immunosuppression, hypoxia before the respiratory rate crosses 30, or social factors that make outpatient management unsafe — always pair the band with clinical gestalt and your institution’s severe-CAP pathway.
CAP severity band by CURB-65 total. Use the band as the next-step signal in your pathway; it is informational, not a recommendation.
Low
CAP severity is low. Outpatient management with oral antibiotics is usually appropriate; arrange timely primary-care follow-up and clear return precautions.
Moderate
CAP severity warrants admission for inpatient treatment. Short inpatient stay on oral or step-down IV antibiotics is the typical pathway; reassess if the score is at the upper end of the band.
High
Severe pneumonia. Consider ICU admission, IV antibiotics, and escalation per your institution’s severe-CAP pathway; pair CURB-65 with clinical gestalt and comorbidities.
Open the calculator
Tick the five CURB-65 criteria. The total, severity band, and 30-day mortality estimate update live as you check each box, and you can copy or print a clean clinical summary for the chart.
Informational only. Not a substitute for clinical judgement. Not a patient record — CURB-65 scores are not persisted; a refresh clears the result. CURB-65 was derived for community-acquired pneumonia; it is not validated for nosocomial or aspiration pneumonia. Always pair with your institution’s pneumonia severity pathway and clinical gestalt.