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Pneumonia is the second most common infection in long term care (LTC) residents and is a leading cause of death from infection in those groups of patients. Atypical presentations and fewer presenting signs and symptoms in older patients complicate diagnosis and delay initiation of adequate treatment. The aim of this study was to compare laboratory CRP levels to pneumonia severity scores, in prediction of short-term death from pneumonia. Diagnosis of pneumonia was performed according to the criteria of McGeer for the identification of pneumonia at an LTC facility. The severities of pneumonia and mortality prediction were assessed by three indices: PSI (pneumonia severity index), Missouri study index and the nursing home associated pneumonia (NHAP) severity index. A strong positive correlation was found between CRP levels and PSI (r=0.445, p<0.001), Missouri study index (r=0.315, p<0.001) and NHAP …