The research aimed to optimize predicting severity of community-acquired pneumonia in children through development,
introduction and evaluation prognostic value of a modified complex scoring scale, which includes clinical signs, instrumental data,
and indicators of the biochemical profile of the exhaled breath condensate. The study involved 70 pediatric inpatients with
community-acquired pneumonia. Based on the results of the stratification using the modified complex scoring scale, two clinical
comparison groups of patients with the low (group I) and moderate (group II) risk of severe pneumonia were formed. At the start of
hospital treatment children with the moderate risk of severe pneumonia had prolonged febrile fever, productive cough and
significantly more pronounced respiratory failure compared to patients from the I group. Examination of the exhaled breath
condensate revealed a decrease in the total protein content, an increase in protein oxidation products and higher proteolytic activity
in children from the II group, reflecting the higher intensity of the inflammation in the pulmonary parenchyma due to the
development of oxidative stress and, consequently, higher risk of severe pneumonia.
Keywords: Pediatric pneumonia, Scoring scale, Exhaled breath condensate