Candida Score
Risk assessment for invasive candidiasis in non-neutropenic critically ill patients with Candida colonisation
Version 1.0.0
Clinical criteria
Candida Score
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Applicability: the original score was derived in non-neutropenic adults aged ≥18 years who had been admitted to ICU for at least 7 days, with prospective Candida colonisation surveillance. The original score used severe sepsis; this migrated calculator deliberately uses the later Sepsis-3 modification (infection plus acute SOFA increase ≥2 points), so it is not definition-identical to the derivation study. The score supports risk assessment but does not diagnose invasive candidiasis or mandate or withhold antifungal treatment by itself.
Unable to calculate.
No clinical values are intentionally saved by this control.
Equations
Modified Candida Score
Candida Score = 2 × (modified Sepsis-3 criterion) + 1 × (total parenteral nutrition) + 1 × (surgery) + 1 × (multifocal Candida colonisation), where each present criterion is 1 and each absent criterion is 0.The original León derivation assigned 2 points for severe sepsis. This migrated implementation deliberately substitutes the later Sepsis-3 definition: infection plus an acute increase in Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score of at least 2 points, as evaluated by Li et al. The possible score is 0–5.
Interpretation threshold
Candida Score ≥3 corresponds to the original reported cut-point >2.5.The original score was derived in non-neutropenic adults admitted to ICU for at least 7 days with prospective Candida colonisation surveillance. A score ≥3 denotes the higher-risk group in that context; a score <3 denotes the lower-risk group. The score does not itself diagnose or exclude invasive candidiasis and must not by itself mandate or withhold antifungal treatment.
References
- León C, Ruiz-Santana S, Saavedra P, Almirante B, Nolla-Salas J, Alvarez-Lerma F, Garnacho-Montero J, León MA; EPCAN Study Group. A bedside scoring system ("Candida score") for early antifungal treatment in nonneutropenic critically ill patients with Candida colonization. Crit Care Med. 2006;34(3):730-737. PMID: 16505659 DOI: 10.1097/01.CCM.0000202208.37364.7D
- Leroy G, Lambiotte F, Thévenin D, Lemaire C, Parmentier E, Devos P, Leroy O. Evaluation of "Candida score" in critically ill patients: a prospective, multicenter, observational, cohort study. Ann Intensive Care. 2011;1(1):50. PMID: 22128895 DOI: 10.1186/2110-5820-1-50
- Li D, Zhang J, Han W, Bai G, Cheng W, Cui N. Evaluation of the updated "Candida score" with Sepsis 3.0 criteria in critically ill patients. Ann Transl Med. 2020;8(15):917. PMID: 32953717 DOI: 10.21037/atm-20-995