title: Defining severe pneumonia.
abstract: Pneumonia is an important clinical and public health problem. Identification and prediction of severe pneumonia are significant concerns. Attempts to define severe pneumonia should recognize that different purposes are served by different definitions; no single definition meets all needs. At present, several prediction models have been proposed or validated. Biomarkers are not yet ready for routine use. The authors recommend careful consideration of the implications of any given definition of pneumonia severity. Outcome studies are needed to integrate human and health care system factors with the application of pneumonia severity definitions.
authors.affiliation: Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Intermountain Medical Center, Salt Lake City, UT, USA. Samuel.Brown@imail.org
authors.forename: Samuel M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: Nathan C
authors.initials: NC
authors.lastname: Dean
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015415:Biomarkers; D017714:Community-Acquired Infections / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000382:microbiology; D006801:Humans; D018410:Pneumonia, Bacterial / Q000188:drug therapy*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D015415:Biomarkers