Determination of relation of serum total cortisol levels and pneumonia severity based on curb-65 criteria

Abstract

Background: Incidence and mortality rate of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in adults are 0.3-0.5 and 5-15 percent, respectively in admitted patients. Diagnosis of disease proposed based on history, physical examination and laboratory studies, and confirmed based on radiologic findings. In this setting, the assessment of severity of illness is valuable for clinicians caring for patients with CAP. CURB-65 usually employed to predict prognosis in CAP. Also, some biomarkers such a serum cortisol used for this purpose. This study designed in order to determine the relation of serum total cortisol levels and pneumonia severity based on CURB-65 system scores. Methods: In this descriptive study,52 cases admitted in Imam Reza and Sina hospitals with definite diagnosis of CAP evaluated for serum total cortisol levels and CURB-65. Results: In this study, 51.9 and 48.1 percent of cases were males and females, respectively, with mean age of 69.57±17.83 years. Five patients are dead. There was no significant relation between low serum cortisol levels and CURB-65 system scores. Conclusions: According to the findings of this study, serum total cortisol levels measurement is not valuable in determining severity and prognosis of CAP.