An 87-year-old woman has had a cough productive of yellowish sputum for the past 2 days. On examination her temperature is 37deg C. A chest radiograph shows bilateral patchy infiltrates. Her peripheral blood shows leukocytosis. A week later she is afebrile. Which of the following is the most likely outcome of her pulmonary disease?

If inflammation is limited and brief, and the involved tissue can regenerate, then resolution is the likely outcome, without significant loss of function. In older persons this may take longer, but can still occur. Multiple bouts of acute inflammation, or ongoing inflammation, can become chronic, and there tends to be loss of some tissue function. If significant tissue destruction occurs, there is likely to be formation of a fibrous scar in the region of the tissue loss. Acute inflammation is not a preneoplastic event. Ulceration refers to loss of an epithelial surface with acute inflammation; if the epithelium regenerates, then there is resolution.