Compare acute and chronic inflammation regarding duration and cellular mediators.

• A. Acute inflammation lasts minutes to days, with neutrophils and mediators like histamine; chronic inflammation lasts weeks to months, with macrophages and lymphocytes and mediators like TNF-alpha.
• B. Acute lasts weeks to months; chronic lasts minutes to days.
• C. Acute involves only lymphocytes; chronic involves neutrophils.
• D. They have identical durations.

Answer: (A)

Acute inflammation is a rapid, short-lived response that lasts from minutes to a few days and is dominated by neutrophils, with mediators like histamine driving vascular changes such as increased permeability. Chronic inflammation, on the other hand, persists for weeks to months and features macrophages and lymphocytes as the primary cellular players, with mediators such as TNF-α sustaining activation and promoting tissue destruction and repair. This pairing fits because it correctly links the duration of each inflammatory phase with the typical cell types and mediators involved. The other descriptions misstate either how long acute and chronic inflammation last or which cells and mediators are predominant.