RADIOGRAPHIC PATTERNS AND VIRAL STUDIES IN CHILDHOOD PNEUMONIA AT VARIOUS AGES

We aimed at evaluating the relationship between microbial etiology and chest radiograph appearance in various types of pneumonia. In a prosp ective study, the radiographic findings in 479 cases of acute pneumoni a in children were compared with viral etiology and growth of potentia l bacterial pathogens in nasopharyngeal secretion. As the basis for vi ral etiology was most conclusive, the material was here classified acc ording to the viral findings. The patients were divided into three age groups: 0-2, 3-5 and 6-15 years. The chest radiograms were analyzed b lindly for the presence of hyperinflation and interstitial, alveolar a nd mixed interstitial-alveolar infiltrates. There was a statistically significant relationship between low age and occurrence of hyperinflat ion and interstitial infiltrates, and between high age and alveolar in filtrates. No unequivocal relationship was found between type of infil trates or presence of atelectasis and proven viral etiology. We conclu de that chest radiographs are not a useful indicator of microbial etio logy in childhood pneumonia.