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Table 1 Clinical diagnostic criteria of CAP

From: Effects of different doses of methylprednisolone on clinical outcomes in patients with severe community-acquired pneumonia: a study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

1. Onset of illness in the community

2. Clinical manifestations

 • Recent cough, expectoration, or the aggravation of symptoms of original respiratory diseases, with or without purulent sputum, chest pain, dyspnea, and hemoptysis

 • Fever

 • Signs of pulmonary consolidation and/or moist rales were presented

 • Peripheral white blood cell counts > 10×109 / L or < 4×109 / L, with or without left shift of nucleus

3. New patchy infiltrations, pulmonary consolidations, “ground-glass,” or interstitial changes are shown in chest imaging, with or without pleural effusion.

  1. Clinical diagnosis of CAP can be established after meeting items 1, 3, and any one of the item 2, and excluding pulmonary tuberculosis, pulmonary tumor, noninfectious pulmonary interstitial disease, pulmonary edema, atelectasis, pulmonary embolism, pulmonary eosinophilic infiltration, and pulmonary vasculitis