title: A simple respiratory severity score that may be used in evaluation of acute respiratory infection.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Acute respiratory infections are ubiquitous and may have long-term implications on respiratory health. There are many scoring systems used to objectively measure severity of respiratory infections in clinical and research settings. A respiratory severity score derived exclusively from physical exam components (RSS-HR) was studied as an objective measure of disease severity and was compared to a previously described score that uses pulse oximetry as a component of its score (RSS-SO).
  
  
  RESULTS
  A score was derived from 497 infants. The RSS-HR median score was higher in infants that were hospitalized (8.0) versus outpatient (4.0, p < 0.001), and those with lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI) (6.5) versus upper respiratory infections (URI) (1.0, p < 0.001). When discriminating upper versus LRTIs the concordance index of regression for RSS-HR was 0.91 and RSS-SO was 0.93.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  RSS-HR distinguishes disease severity based on level of care, as well as LRTI versus URI.
authors: Vanderbilt Center for Asthma Research, Vanderbilt University, 1215 21st Avenue South 6000, Medical Center East, North Tower, Nashville, TN, 37232-8300, USA. hrodriguezleusc@gmail.com.
authors: Hector
authors: H
authors: Rodriguez
authors: Vanderbilt Center for Asthma Research, Vanderbilt University, 1215 21st Avenue South 6000, Medical Center East, North Tower, Nashville, TN, 37232-8300, USA. tina.hartert@vanderbilt.edu.
authors: Tina V
authors: TV
authors: Hartert
authors: Vanderbilt Center for Asthma Research, Vanderbilt University, 1215 21st Avenue South 6000, Medical Center East, North Tower, Nashville, TN, 37232-8300, USA. tebeb.gebretsadik@vanderbilt.edu.
authors: Tebeb
authors: T
authors: Gebretsadik
authors: Vanderbilt Center for Asthma Research, Vanderbilt University, 1215 21st Avenue South 6000, Medical Center East, North Tower, Nashville, TN, 37232-8300, USA. kecia.carroll@vanderbilt.edu.
authors: Kecia N
authors: KN
authors: Carroll
authors: Vanderbilt Center for Asthma Research, Vanderbilt University, 1215 21st Avenue South 6000, Medical Center East, North Tower, Nashville, TN, 37232-8300, USA. emma.larkin@vanderbilt.edu.
authors: Emma K
authors: EK
authors: Larkin
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003710:Demography; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D010092:Oximetry; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index