CURB-65 is a quick pneumonia severity score used to help decide whether a patient can be treated at home or needs hospital admission.
Low risk — likely outpatient treatment.
Consider hospital admission.
High risk — admit.
High risk — consider ICU-level care.
Elevated urea reflects both dehydration and more severe systemic illness, both of which predict worse pneumonia outcomes.
0–1 is low risk (likely outpatient), 2 suggests considering admission, and 3–5 is high risk with consideration of ICU-level care.
CURB-65 is faster to calculate at the bedside; PSI is more detailed and validated more extensively for mortality. Many clinicians use CURB-65 for a quick first pass.
A version that drops the urea (blood test) component, so it can be used in settings without immediate labs — useful in primary care.