What is the term for the prediction of the course and outcome of a disease?

What is the term for the prediction of the course and outcome of a disease?

• A. Prognosis
• B. Plaque
• C. Pneumothorax
• D. Post mortem

Answer: (A)

The main concept here is prognosis—the forecast of how a disease will progress and what the likely outcome will be. A prognosis goes beyond simply identifying what illness is; it answers what might happen over time, such as whether symptoms will improve, worsen, or remain the same, and how likely recovery or complications are. This helps guide treatment decisions, planning, and conversations with patients and families. The other terms don’t fit: a plaque is a buildup that can occur in arteries and is a finding, not a prediction; a pneumothorax is air in the pleural space causing lung collapse; a post mortem is an autopsy performed after death. So prognosis is the term that correctly describes predicting the course and outcome of a disease.

The main concept here is prognosis—the forecast of how a disease will progress and what the likely outcome will be. A prognosis goes beyond simply identifying what illness is; it answers what might happen over time, such as whether symptoms will improve, worsen, or remain the same, and how likely recovery or complications are. This helps guide treatment decisions, planning, and conversations with patients and families.

The other terms don’t fit: a plaque is a buildup that can occur in arteries and is a finding, not a prediction; a pneumothorax is air in the pleural space causing lung collapse; a post mortem is an autopsy performed after death. So prognosis is the term that correctly describes predicting the course and outcome of a disease.