Introduction:

Chest radiography is the best diagnostic method for clinical confirmation of pneumonia, although there are discrepancies in its relation to causation.

Objective:

To describe imaging patterns according to clinical, epidemiological, and microbiological variables, in patients under five years of age admitted for bacterial pneumonia.

Methods:

descriptive, prospective, and cross-sectional study of 84 patients diagnosed with pneumonia and bacterial isolation in blood cultures and / or pleural fluid. Variables of interest were operationalized, with frequency, and percentage calculations being performed.

Results:

alveolar consolidation (57.1 %) prevailed in preschoolers, male sex, with previous antimicrobial treatment, early suppression of breastfeeding, and smoking at home. Fever, cough, tachypnea, retraction, rhinorrhea, and wet rales were the most frequent symptoms. Pneumococcus prevailed (64.6 %) in patients with alveolar condensation pattern.

Conclusions:

the pattern of alveolar consolidation was consistent with pneumococcal causality predominantly; with multiple risk factors and typical clinical presentation of bacterial pneumonia.

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