Clinical presentations and outcome of severe community-acquired pneumonia.

Background: Severe community-acquired pneumonia (SCAP) represents a frequent and potentially life-threatening condition. About 10% of all hospitalized patients with CAP require admission to the intensive care unit (ICU), and the mortality of these patients reaches 20-50%.

Objective: To evaluate the clinical presentation, bacteriological profile and outcome of severe community-acquired pneumonia (SCAP).