Which condition is characterized by inflammation of the lungs and accumulation of fluid in the alveoli?

The condition characterized by inflammation of the lungs and the accumulation of fluid in the alveoli is pneumonia. This infection leads to the filling of alveolar spaces with fluid, which is a direct result of the body’s immune response to the infectious agents, whether they are bacteria, viruses, or fungi. In pneumonia, this fluid buildup impairs gas exchange, leading to symptoms such as cough, fever, chills, and difficulty breathing.

Asthma, on the other hand, involves the inflammation of the airways but does not typically lead to fluid accumulation in the alveoli. It primarily results from bronchial hyperreactivity to various stimuli, causing wheezing and breathlessness.

Bronchitis is an inflammation of the bronchial tubes, generally characterized by a productive cough, but it does not result in the fluid accumulation in the alveoli typical of pneumonia.

Pleurisy refers to inflammation of the pleura, the membranes surrounding the lungs, which can cause sharp chest pain but does not involve fluid accumulation in the alveoli themselves.

Thus, pneumonia is the clear choice as it encapsulates both the inflammation of lung tissue and the specific condition of fluid accumulation in the alveoli.