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Printed on 4/19/2026
For informational purposes only. This is not medical advice.
CRB-65 is a simplified pneumonia risk score derived from CURB-65 that removes the blood urea (BUN) requirement. It uses four bedside variables: Confusion, Respiratory rate, Blood pressure, and age 65 or older. It is especially useful in primary care, urgent care, and prehospital settings where immediate labs are not available.
Formula: CRB-65 = Confusion + Respiratory rate ≥30 + low blood pressure + age ≥65 (0-4 total).
CRB-65 was derived as a practical adaptation of CURB-65 for settings where blood urea measurement is not readily available.
CRB-65 estimates short-term pneumonia risk using bedside variables only. Score 0 generally indicates lower risk, scores 1-2 indicate intermediate risk, and scores 3-4 indicate high risk with greater likelihood of adverse outcomes.
Use this as a structured triage aid, not as a stand-alone discharge decision.
Use CRB-65 for adults with suspected community-acquired pneumonia when laboratory testing is unavailable or delayed, especially in primary care, urgent care, tele-triage, and prehospital settings.
It helps decide whether outpatient management may be reasonable or whether urgent hospital assessment is warranted.
CRB-65 does not include oxygenation, imaging burden, lactate, comorbidity complexity, or biomarker data. Young patients with severe hypoxemia can still have deceptively low scores.
It is a triage support tool and should be interpreted with full clinical context, including respiratory status and social support.
For related assessments, see CURB-65 Score, PSI / PORT Score and NEWS2 Score.
Disclaimer: This tool is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider with questions about your health.
Calculate CURB-65 for community-acquired pneumonia severity to guide outpatient treatment, hospital admission, or ICU-level evaluation.
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