title: A new urinary antigen test score correlates with severity of pneumococcal pneumonia in children.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Streptococcus pneumoniae is the most common bacterial cause of community-acquired pneumonia in children. This study was designed to determine whether a newly designed urinary antigen test score correlated with severity of pneumococcal pneumonia in children.
  
  
  METHODS
  We recruited 119 children hospitalized with pneumonia diagnosed by positive urinary pneumococcal antigen test at the National Cheng Kung University Hospital from 2002 through 2007. The urinary antigen reactivity score was determined by the rate of the reaction time and intensity of the pneumococcal antigen-antibody band. The children were stratified into three groups according to total score: group I, 8; group II, 5-7; and group III, 2-4. Disease severity was based on clinical presentation and radiological and laboratory findings.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients in group I had significantly more respiratory distress (p = 0.01), oxygen desaturation (p = 0.04), febrile days (p = 0.03), pulmonary complications (p = 0.01), and bacteremia (p = 0.01), greater requirement for intensive care (p = 0.004), longer hospital stays (p < 0.001), and lower white blood cell counts (p = 0.01) than patients in group II or III.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A new urinary pneumococcal antigen test score correlated well with the severity of pneumococcal pneumonia in children. It might provide helpful diagnostic and prognostic information.
authors: Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University and Hospital, Tainan, Taiwan.
authors: Ching-Fen
authors: CF
authors: Shen
authors: Shih-Min
authors: SM
authors: Wang
authors: Ching-Chuan
authors: CC
authors: Liu
mesh_terms: D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000652:urine*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D011018:Pneumonia, Pneumococcal / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000652:urine*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013296:Streptococcus pneumoniae / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000942:Antigens, Bacterial