title: [Usefulness of medical history and physical findings in the diagnosis of pneumonia].
abstract: Pneumonia is a frequent concern in the ambulatory setting. Diagnosis should be prompt, as delays in the instauration of the treatment are associated with a worse prognosis. However, empiric antibiotic treatment of all patients suspected of having pneumonia is unwarranted, and can affect adversely bacterial ecology. Chest X-ray remains the gold standard, and should always be obtained to confirm the diagnosis, as clinical findings are non-specific. Conversely, some clinical findings can be used to rule out pneumonia with sufficient negative predictive value in a low-prevalence setting. A chest X-ray can be omitted for these patients. We aimed to point which symptoms and signs are useful in assessing the clinical probability of pneumonia, and review clinical rules proposed for this purpose.
authors.affiliation: Service de médecine interne générale, HUG, 1211 Genève 14. Patrick.Brander@hcuge.ch
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Brander
authors.forename: Nicolas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Garin
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D008487:Medical History Taking; D010808:Physical Examination; D011014:Pneumonia / Q000175:diagnosis*