A three-step diagnosis of pediatric pneumonia at the emergency department using clinical predictors, C-reactive protein, and pneumococcal PCR

The authors introduced a three–step diagnosis of pediatric pneumonia at the emergency department. They demonstrated that a model incorporating clinical signs and laboratory markers can effectively assess the risk of pneumonia. Children with negative clinical signs and low C–reactive protein (CRP) are at a low risk of having pneumonia. However, a positive blood pneumococcal polymerase chain reaction (PCR) can more accurately confirm the diagnosis of pneumonia, in children with positive clinical signs and high CRP.

Read the full article on European Journal of Pediatrics.