title: [Clinical score to rule out pneumonia due to Mycoplasma pneumoniae].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The gold standard for the diagnosis of pneumonia secondary to Mycoplasma pneumoniae is the serial measurement of IgM, since an isolated test for IgM has a poor sensitivity of 31.8%. A pneumonia due to Mycoplasma pneumoniae could be of clinically different origins, thus it is possible to perform a clinical score for its early diagnosis.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To develop a clinical score in order to rule out a pneumoniae secondary to Mycoplasma pneumoniae.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 302 patients from 0 to 18 years-old, with a diagnosis of pneumonia were evaluated and divided into two groups: Mycoplasma positive and Mycoplasma negative. Using different variables in the medical records a clinical score was calculated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 302 cases studied, 34 were classified as Mycoplasma positive and 268 as Mycoplasma negative. The variables relevant to the calculation of the score were age, days with fever, and days with cough, thus providing the CAF (Cough, Age, Fever) score. Ranges were assigned for each variable and points were given for each range. A value greater than or equal to 5 meant a positive score. The CAF score was applied to the 302 cases, resulting in 164 cases of Mycoplasma positive and 138 cases of Mycoplasma negative. The CAF score had a sensitivity of 85% and specificity of 49%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The CAF score had better sensitivity than other clinical diagnostic tools. With a negative predictive value of 96% it is possible to rule out a pneumonia secondary to M. pneumoniae. The study requires a prospective study to verify the usefulness of our score.
authors.affiliation: Escuela de Medicina y Ciencias de la Salud del Tecnológico de Monterrey, Departamento de Pediatría, Sistema Multicéntrico de Residencias Médicas ITESM-SSNL, Monterrey, Nuevo León, México.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rodríguez de Ita
authors.affiliation: Escuela de Medicina y Ciencias de la Salud del Tecnológico de Monterrey, Departamento de Pediatría, Sistema Multicéntrico de Residencias Médicas ITESM-SSNL, Monterrey, Nuevo León, México.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Torres-Quintanilla
authors.affiliation: Escuela de Medicina y Ciencias de la Salud del Tecnológico de Monterrey, Departamento de Pediatría, Sistema Multicéntrico de Residencias Médicas ITESM-SSNL, Monterrey, Nuevo León, México.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Paláu-Dávila
authors.affiliation: Escuela de Medicina y Ciencias de la Salud del Tecnológico de Monterrey, Departamento de Pediatría, Sistema Multicéntrico de Residencias Médicas ITESM-SSNL, Monterrey, Nuevo León, México.
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Silva-Gburek
authors.affiliation: Escuela de Medicina y Ciencias de la Salud del Tecnológico de Monterrey, Departamento de Pediatría, Sistema Multicéntrico de Residencias Médicas ITESM-SSNL, Monterrey, Nuevo León, México.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ortiz de Elguea-Lizarraga
authors.affiliation: Escuela de Medicina y Ciencias de la Salud del Tecnológico de Monterrey, Departamento de Pediatría, Sistema Multicéntrico de Residencias Médicas ITESM-SSNL, Monterrey, Nuevo León, México. Electronic address: karlachc2@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: K L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Chávez Caraza
authors.affiliation: Escuela de Medicina y Ciencias de la Salud del Tecnológico de Monterrey, Departamento de Pediatría, Sistema Multicéntrico de Residencias Médicas ITESM-SSNL, Monterrey, Nuevo León, México.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Santos-Guzman
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D017714:Community-Acquired Infections / Q000175:diagnosis; D003371:Cough / Q000209:etiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005334:Fever / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D011019:Pneumonia, Mycoplasma / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*
keywords: Antibiotic; Antibiótico; Diagnosis; Diagnóstico; Mycoplasma pneumoniae; Neumonía; Pneumonia; Puntuación; Score
vernacular_title: Score clínico para el descarte de neumonía por Mycoplasma pneumoniae.