Cortisol Level and CAP

In patients with CAP, total and free serum cortisol levels at initial evaluation were correlated with both PSI score and mortality.

Several studies have shown a positive correlation between serum cortisol level and both severity of critical illness and risk for death. The value of measuring serum cortisol in patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is unknown, however. To shed light on the issue, investigators measured total and free serum cortisol levels during the initial evaluation of adults with suspected CAP at a hospital emergency department in Basel, Switzerland. For 278 such patients, they compared the prognostic accuracy of these values with that of the pneumonia severity index (PSI), a well-validated predictor of outcome in CAP. Mean duration of follow-up was 7 weeks.

Both total and free serum cortisol levels were positively correlated with PSI scores (…

Reviewing Author

Neil M. Ampel, MD

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Editorial BoardsUpToDate

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesCoccidioidomycosis Study Group (Past President, Secretary, Treasurer)

Neil M. Ampel, MD

Disclosures

Editorial BoardsUpToDate

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesCoccidioidomycosis Study Group (Past President, Secretary, Treasurer)

Cortisol Level and CAP

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Reviewing Author