CURB-65 Calculator
What is CURB-65 Calculator
The CURB-65 score grades the severity of community-acquired pneumonia and helps decide whether a patient can be treated at home or needs admission. Its five items each score one point: Confusion, Urea above 7 mmol/L, Respiratory rate of 30 or more, low Blood pressure, and age 65 or over. The total from 0 to 5 sorts patients into low, moderate and high severity.
How to use
- Tick the box if there is new confusion.
- Enter urea in mmol/L, or switch to mg/dL to enter BUN.
- Enter respiratory rate, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and age.
- Read the CURB-65 score out of 5 and the suggested care setting.
When to use it
An older patient with pneumonia looks borderline for admission and you want an objective anchor? Enter age 70, a urea of 9 mmol/L and a respiratory rate of 32, and the score reaches 3, in the high-severity band that supports inpatient care. It gives a quick, defensible starting point for the site-of-care decision, alongside oxygen saturations and comorbidity.
Frequently asked questions
What does each CURB-65 band mean?
Roughly, a score of 0 to 1 is low severity and often suitable for outpatient care, a score of 2 is moderate and warrants considering admission, and 3 to 5 is high severity that usually needs inpatient treatment with assessment for intensive care.
What urea threshold does it use?
The urea point is scored when urea exceeds 7 mmol/L. If your lab reports blood urea nitrogen in mg/dL, switch the unit and the tool converts it, using a BUN above roughly 19 mg/dL.
Is CRB-65 different?
Yes. CRB-65 drops the urea item so it can be used without blood tests, for example in primary care. This tool calculates the full CURB-65, which includes urea.
Can I share this tool with my inputs pre-filled?
Yes. The URL updates automatically as you type. Copy it from the address bar or use the Copy link button, and anyone who opens the link will see your exact inputs ready to go.
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