European journal of internal medicine
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Eur. J. Intern. Med. · Jul 2012
Randomized Controlled TrialD-dimer levels in assessing severity and clinical outcome in patients with community-acquired pneumonia. A secondary analysis of a randomised clinical trial.
D-dimer levels are in several studies elevated in patients with CAP. In this study we assess the use of D-dimer levels and its association with severity assessment and clinical outcome in patients hospitalised with community-acquired pneumonia. ⋯ D-dimer levels are elevated in patients with CAP. Significantly higher D-dimer levels are found in patients with clinical failure and with severe CAP. D-dimer levels as single biomarker or as addition to the CURB-65 have no added value for predicting clinical outcome or mortality. D-dimer levels<500 μg/l may identify candidates at low risk for complications.