Predicting pneumonia in adults with respiratory illness.

摘要

Identifying patients with pneumonia (defined as acute respiratory illness with an infiltrate seen on a chest radiograph) is important. Although there is no evidence that antibiotics benefit otherwise healthy patients with acute bronchitis, antibiotics are recommended to treat patients with bacterial pneumonia. History and physical examination findings that increase the likelihood of pneumonia include fever, chills, sweats, myalgia, tachypnea, egophony, decreased breath sounds, dullness to percussion, crackles (rales), immunosuppression, and dementia. Findings that decrease the likelihood of pneumonia include asthma, sore throat, and rhinorrhea. However, individual signs and symptoms cannot rule pneumonia in or out.