Related Experiment Videos
[Biomarkers in community acquired pneumonia - what did we learn from the CAPNETZ study?]
1Medizinische Klinik I, Universitätsklinikum RWTH Aachen. stkrueger@ukaachen.de
Background:
Biomarkers have been intensively studied in community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in recent years. In the context of the CAPNETZ study we had the unique opportunity to evaluate old and new biomarkers in a multicentre study with a high number of patients.
Results:
In several substudies we found the following results: procalcitonin, CRP and leukocytes show highest values in patients with typical bacterial etiology of CAP, but do not allow individual prediction of etiology. Patients without antibiotic pre-treatment show higher values of biomarkers compared to patients with antibiotic pre-treatment. New cardiovascular biomarkers are good predictors for short- and long-term mortality in CAP, superior to the inflammatory markers procalcitonin, CRP and leukocytes and at least comparable to the clinical CRB-65 score. Pro-Adrenomedullin is among the new biomarkers the one with the best prognostic value.
Conclusions:
Biomarkers correlate with the severity of CAP but do not allow individual prediction of etiology. New cardiovascular biomarkers are suitable for the evaluation of short- and long-term prognosis in CAP. The combination of several biomarkers reflecting different pathophysiological pathways has the potential to improve management of CAP in the future.
Related Concept Videos
Pneumonia III: Complications and Assessment
Pneumonia I: Introduction
Pneumonia I: Introduction
Risk Factors
Various factors influence the likelihood of developing pneumonia. Age plays a crucial role, with infants, children under two, and individuals over 65 at increased risk due to their...
Atypical Pneumonia
Pneumonia II: Pathophysiology
Pneumonia IV: Management
Bacterial Pneumonia Treatment
For bacterial pneumonia, antibiotics serve as the cornerstone of therapy. Initial treatment often begins with empirical antibiotics, tailored to the anticipated causative organism and adjusted based on culture results. Key antibiotic choices include: