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J Korean Soc Emerg Med > Volume 37(2); 2026 > Article
Journal of The Korean Society of Emergency Medicine 2026;37(2): 67-74.
응급의료센터로 내원한 발열 환자 중에서 흉부 방사선검사상 진단되지 않은 폐렴의 진단 예측 인자 분석
정명호 , 채보라 , 이윤선
울산대학교 의과대학 서울아산병원 응급의학과
Analysis of predictive factors for pneumonia in febrile patients with nondiagnostic chest radiography
Myungho Jeong , Bora Chae , Yoon-Seon Lee
Department of Emergency Medicine, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
Correspondence  Yoon-Seon Lee ,Tel: 02-3010-3350, Fax: 02-3010-3360, Email: ysdoc@amc.seoul.kr,
Received: February 28, 2024; Revised: December 6, 2025   Accepted: March 16, 2026.  Published online: April 30, 2026.
ABSTRACT
Objective:
Pneumonia can be life-threatening, but it is challenging to diagnose because of the low accuracy of chest Xray (CXR), the diagnostic standard. This study examined predictors of pneumonia on computed tomography (CT) in febrile patients with nondiagnostic CXR.
Methods:
This was a retrospective case-control study conducted in the emergency department (ED) of a tertiary referral center between November 2019 and October 2020. Among adult febrile patients who underwent CXR and a CT scan, 105 cases with pneumonia on CT and 105 controls without pneumonia on CT were consecutively included. None of the patients had a fever focus or a nondiagnostic CXR at the initial work-up.
Results:
Multivariate regression analysis revealed the following to be significantly associated with pneumonia on CT: male (odds ratio [OR], 2.06; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.04-4.07), lower respiratory symptoms (OR, 4.33; 95% CI, 1.93-9.72 for one symptom; OR, 7.64; 95% CI, 3.19-18.31 for two or more symptoms), peripheral oxygen saturation (SpO2) <95% (OR, 2.94; 95% CI, 1.03-8.42), body temperature ≥40.0°C (OR, 5.18; 95% CI, 1.14-23.63), and leukocytosis (OR, 2.26; 95% CI, 1.12-4.55). Blood urea nitrogen (BUN)/creatinine (Cr) ≥20 (OR, 2.14; 95% CI, 1.00-4.57) and absolute neutrophil count <500/mm3 (OR, 8.41; 95% CI, 0.81-87.57) tended to have an association with pneumonia on CT.
Conclusion:
Males, lower respiratory tract symptoms, lower SpO2, higher body temperature, and leukocytosis were independent predictors of a diagnosis of pneumonia on CT with nondiagnostic CXR in febrile patients at the ED. In addition, neutropenia and an increased BUN-to-Cr ratio were important predictors of pneumonia.
Key words: Fever; Pneumonia; Radiography; Thorax; X-ray computed tomography
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