Community acquired bacterial pneumonia.
BACKGROUND
Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is a common and potentially life-threatening illness that continues to be a major medical problem. Among infectious diseases, CAP is the leading cause of death in the world and is associated with a substantial economic burden to health are systems around the globe.


METHODS
Recently identified clinical and biochemical tools promise to improve the assessment of CAP severity. Various prognostic scoring systems and predictive biomarkers have been proposed as tools to aid clinicians in key management decisions. This review provides a summary of current evidence about the use of prognostic scoring systems and biomarkers in the management of patients presenting with CAP. According to the existing guidelines, until more accurate and rapid diagnostic methods are available, the initial treatment for most patients with CAP will remain empirical. Some novel antibiotic and nonantibiotic therapies have recently been tested; some empirical antimicrobial regimens are still being debated. This review summarizes the recent advances in the field of therapy and novel approaches. We searched PubMed for English-language references published from 1997 to 2009 using combinations of the following terms: 'community acquired pneumonia', 'community acquired bacterial pneumonia', 'therapy', 'antibiotics', 'antimicrobials', 'prognostic scoring systems', 'biomarkers', 'diagnostic testing', 'guidelines' 'etiological diagnosis'.


RESULTS
A thorough description about recent advances in the field of therapy and novel approaches of CAP, as well as a summary of current evidence about the use of prognostic scoring systems and biomarkers in the management of patients presenting with CAP, is presented.


CONCLUSIONS
Recent developments have made significant contributions to the management of CAP patients. However, various hot topics remain open and urgently require prospective studies in order to optimize the outcomes of CAP.
Anevlavis
Stavros
S
Department of Pneumonology, University Hospital of Alexandroupolis, Democritus University of Thrace, Medical School, Alexandroupolis 68100, Greece.
Bouros
Demosthenes
D
D000367:Age Factors; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D017714:Community-Acquired Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000382:microbiology; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D019983:Guideline Adherence; D006801:Humans; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D018410:Pneumonia, Bacterial / Q000188:drug therapy*; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D011379:Prognosis; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D000890:Anti-Infective Agents