Final answer:
The likely cause of fluid accumulation in the lungs, or pulmonary edema, in a patient with inflammation around lung blood vessels, is increased hydrostatic pressure within pulmonary capillaries.
Step-by-step explanation:
The likely cause of fluid accumulation in the lungs of a patient with inflammation around the lung's blood vessels is the resulting increased hydrostatic pressure within pulmonary capillaries. This condition, known as pulmonary edema, can occur when, for instance, the left ventricle of the heart fails to pump sufficient blood into the systemic circulation, causing blood in the pulmonary circulation to get backed up into the pulmonary capillaries. The hydrostatic pressure increase leads to fluid being pushed out of the blood vessels and into the lung tissues.
Regarding the given options, the correct answer would be increased hydrostatic pressure.
- Increased blood viscosity would make it harder for blood to flow but doesn't directly cause fluid accumulation in lung tissues.
- Decreased hydrostatic pressure would likely result in less fluid egress from the capillaries.
- Increased oncotic pressure within the blood vessels would tend to pull fluid back into the capillaries, opposite of causing edema.
- Decreased capillary permeability would hinder the movement of fluid out of the blood vessels and is not associated with edema due to increased hydrostatic pressure.