CRP and pneumonia: The prognostic accuracy of cortisol levels in short-term mortality prediction was equal to that of the pneumonia severity index (PSI), but better than the CURB-65 score (confusion of new onset, blood urea nitrogen >7 mmol/L, respiratory rate ≥30 breaths per minute, systolic blood pressure <90 mmHg or diastolic blood pressure ≤60, and age ≥65 years) and routinely measured laboratory parameters such as C-reactive protein (CRP), procalcitonin (PCT), or white blood cell count [20, 21, 23].