Guidelines for the management of adult lower respiratory tract infections

Since the 1998 European Respiratory Society (ERS) lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) guidelines were published, the evidence on which they were based has increased and the methods for guideline development have been refined. Against this background, these new guidelines have been developed. A systematic literature search was performed to retrieve relevant publications from 1966 through to December 31, 2002, which critically appraised and rated the pertinent clinical evidence, summarised these ratings in levels of evidence, and translated the best available evidence into graded clinical recommendations. The following text is a summary of the recommendations themselves and a discussion of the evidence on which the recommendations are based, under the following sections: Management outside hospital; Management inside hospital for community-acquired pneumonia; Exacerbations of COPD; and Exacerbations of bronchiectasis and prevention of infection.