Association of Serum Phosphate Levels with Section Disease Severity and Clinical Outcomes in Patients with Community Acquired Pneumonia: A Hospital-based Prospective Observational Study
Year: 2026
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Introduction: Community Acquired Pneumonia (CAP) remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Early identification of patients at risk of severe disease is essential for timely intervention. This prospective observational study evaluated the prognostic significance of serum phosphate levels in hospitalised CAP patients. Aim: To evaluate the association between serum phosphate levels, CURB-65 (Confusion, Urea, Respiratory rate, Blood pressure, and Age 65 or older) score, Intensive Care Unit (ICU) admission, and mortality in hospitalised patients with CAP. Materials and Methods: This hospital-based prospective observational study was conducted between May 2022 and October 2022 at Government Royapettah Hospital and Government Kilpauk Medical College Hospital, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India after Institutional Ethics Committee approval. A total of 79 patients diagnosed with CAP were enrolled. Serum phosphate levels were measured at admission and on day 3 of hospitalisation. Disease severity was assessed using the CURB65 score, and early ICU admission was defined as transfer within 48 hours. Data were analysed using Student’s t-test, Chi-square test, Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), and Kendall’s Tau correlation, with p-value <0.05 considered statistically significant. Results: Serum phosphate levels demonstrated a significant inverse correlation with CURB-65 scores at admission (τ=-0.273, p-value=0.001) and on day 3 (τ=-0.456, p-value <0.0001). Lower serum phosphate levels were significantly associated with higher CURB-65 scores, increased ICU admission rates, and poorer clinical outcomes (p-value <0.0001). Conclusion: These findings suggest that serum phosphate, an inexpensive and routinely available laboratory parameter, is associated with disease severity in patients with CAP and may serve for identifying high-risk patients and guiding clinical management in CAP.
Language: English
Subfield: Epidemiology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $275
OpenAlex ID: W7223354956