CRB-65 score in community-acquired pneumonia

CRB-65 estimates mortality risk in community-acquired pneumonia from four clinical criteria without laboratory values.

⚠︎ Learning tool for medical education – not for use in patients or for treatment decisions.

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Classification (original publication)

ScoreClassification (original publication)
0Low mortality risk – risk group according to Lim 2003
1–2Increased mortality risk – risk group according to Lim 2003
3–4High mortality risk – risk group according to Lim 2003

CRB-65 in the guideline

The German S3 guideline on community-acquired pneumonia describes CRB-65 as one element of severity assessment, together with oxygenation, comorbidity and functional status. Details are given in the guideline (see references).

CRB-65 and CURB-65

CURB-65 additionally includes urea and therefore requires laboratory tests. CRB-65 is designed for primary care and emergency settings without laboratory values.

FAQ

What does CRB-65 stand for?▾

C for confusion, R for respiratory rate, B for blood pressure and 65 for age 65 or older.

References

  1. Lim WS et al. Defining community acquired pneumonia severity on presentation to hospital: an international derivation and validation study. Thorax 2003;58:377–82. · PubMed
  2. Bauer TT et al. CRB-65 predicts death from community-acquired pneumonia. J Intern Med 2006;260:93–101. · PubMed
  3. Ewig S et al. S3-Leitlinie Behandlung von erwachsenen Patienten mit ambulant erworbener Pneumonie – Update 2021. Pneumologie 2021;75:665–729. · PubMed

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Intended purpose: learning tool for medical education only. Not intended for use in patients or for diagnostic or treatment decisions; not a medical device. Calculations follow the cited original publications; no guarantee of completeness or correctness. Last updated: 09/2026 · Dr. Pascal Bafteh