How is the CURB-65 score calculated?

Add one point for each of: new-onset confusion, urea above 7 mmol/L (BUN above 19 mg/dL), respiratory rate of 30 or more, systolic blood pressure below 90 or diastolic 60 or below, and age 65 or older. The total ranges from 0 to 5.

What does the CURB-65 score mean?

Per the published rule, a score of 0–1 carries about 1.5% 30-day mortality, 2 about 9%, and 3 or more about 22%. The original work associated these with outpatient, ward, and higher-level care, but the tool reports the score and mortality only.

Does CURB-65 diagnose pneumonia or decide admission?

No. It grades severity in a patient already being assessed for pneumonia; the diagnosis needs clinical and radiographic assessment, and the admission or ICU decision rests with the treating clinician.

CRB-65 is the same score without the urea criterion, used where blood results are not immediately available. This tool computes the full CURB-65; omit the urea point if you are using CRB-65.

Does any of the data I enter leave my browser?

No. The scoring runs entirely in your browser; nothing you enter is sent to a server or stored. The print option produces a clean worksheet you can save as a PDF.

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CURB-65 score calculator

Tally the five CURB-65 criteria — Confusion, Urea, Respiratory rate, Blood pressure, age ≥65 — for the community-acquired pneumonia severity score and its published 30-day mortality band. A severity aid, not a diagnosis or a disposition — and nothing you enter leaves your device.

Tick each CURB-65 criterion that is present. Each criterion scores 1 point, for a total of 0–5. For CRB-65, omit the urea point.

CURB-65 criteria present

Confusion (new-onset)New mental confusion (AMTS ≤ 8, or new disorientation)+1Urea > 7 mmol/L (BUN > 19 mg/dL)Blood urea above 7 mmol/L, equivalently BUN above 19 mg/dL+1Respiratory rate ≥ 30/minRespiratory rate of 30 breaths per minute or more+1Blood pressure: systolic < 90 or diastolic ≤ 60 mmHgSystolic below 90 mmHg, or diastolic 60 mmHg or below+1Age ≥ 65Patient aged 65 years or older+1

CURB-65 total

0/ 5

Low-severity group

Published 30-day mortality, as the published rule states: ~1.5%

CURB-65 does not diagnose pneumonia — the diagnosis needs clinical plus radiographic assessment. It grades severity in a patient already being assessed for community-acquired pneumonia, and its accuracy is limited used alone or without practical clinical judgment.

What the published rule states (not advice for this patient)

What the published rule states is a separate matter from this patient's care. In the original work, a score of 0–1 was associated with outpatient management, 2 with a hospital ward, and 3 or more with higher-level (including intensive-care) assessment. That association is reported only as what the published rule states; it is not advice for this patient, and the care setting rests with the treating clinician. This tool does not recommend admission, ICU, or any antibiotic, drug, or dose.

Severity-scoring aid, not a diagnosis or a disposition. CURB-65 is a severity-scoring aid for community-acquired pneumonia — not a diagnosis and not a disposition decision. It tallies criteria you supply against a published rule (Lim 2003 / BTS, as reproduced by MDCalc) and prints a worksheet; it does not diagnose pneumonia, recommend admission or ICU, or suggest any antibiotic, drug, or dose. The score, its 30-day mortality band, and the associated care setting are reported only as what the published rule states — never as an instruction to act. CURB-65 does not establish the diagnosis of pneumonia (which needs clinical plus radiographic assessment), and its accuracy is limited used alone or without practical clinical judgment. Scores support, not replace, clinical assessment.

Privacy: Runs entirely in your browser — nothing you enter is sent to a server or stored.

Criteria, thresholds, and mortality bands reproduced from: MDCalc — CURB-65 Score for Pneumonia Severity (criteria, thresholds, mortality bands); cross-validated against StatPearls..

How the CURB-65 score works

CURB-65 grades the severity of community-acquired pneumonia by adding one point for each of Confusion, raised Urea, Respiratory rate ≥30, low Blood pressure, and age ≥65. The total maps to a published 30-day mortality band that, in the original work, was associated with a care setting — outpatient, ward, or higher level. This tool reports the score and the published mortality only; it does not diagnose pneumonia (which needs clinical and radiographic assessment) or decide where the patient is treated.

Many teams still tally the criteria on a scrap of paper. With clinical templates in the EMR on Avinya Plus, the same arithmetic can live on the note: build the five criteria into a template and total them with the formula engine, so the severity score sits beside the examination instead of on a calculator. The arithmetic is the engine's; the care decision stays yours.

Frequently asked questions

How is the CURB-65 score calculated?: Add one point for each of: new-onset confusion, urea above 7 mmol/L (BUN above 19 mg/dL), respiratory rate of 30 or more, systolic blood pressure below 90 or diastolic 60 or below, and age 65 or older. The total ranges from 0 to 5.
What does the CURB-65 score mean?: Per the published rule, a score of 0–1 carries about 1.5% 30-day mortality, 2 about 9%, and 3 or more about 22%. The original work associated these with outpatient, ward, and higher-level care, but the tool reports the score and mortality only.
Does CURB-65 diagnose pneumonia or decide admission?: No. It grades severity in a patient already being assessed for pneumonia; the diagnosis needs clinical and radiographic assessment, and the admission or ICU decision rests with the treating clinician.
What is CRB-65?: CRB-65 is the same score without the urea criterion, used where blood results are not immediately available. This tool computes the full CURB-65; omit the urea point if you are using CRB-65.
Does any of the data I enter leave my browser?: No. The scoring runs entirely in your browser; nothing you enter is sent to a server or stored. The print option produces a clean worksheet you can save as a PDF.

Sources

MDCalc — CURB-65 Score for Pneumonia Severity (criteria, thresholds, mortality bands); cross-validated against StatPearls.

The five criteria, score, and 30-day mortality bands are reproduced from MDCalc (calc 324, Lim 2003 / British Thoracic Society), cross-checked against StatPearls. The score grades severity; it does not diagnose pneumonia or decide the care setting. Reviewed against the source on 2026-06-29.

Keep the severity score on the record.

In Avinya Plus you can build the CURB-65 criteria into a clinical template, total them automatically, and keep the severity band on the note — the care decision stays with you. See it on a quick demo.