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Home > Information Centre > Inflammation

Inflammation

Inflammation (Latin, inflammatio, to set on fire) is the complex biological response of vascular tissues to harmful stimuli, such as pathogens, damaged cells, or irritants. It is a protective attempt by the organism to remove the injurious stimuli as well as initiate the healing process for the tissue. Inflammation is not a synonym for infection. Even in cases where inflammation is caused by infection it is incorrect to use the terms as synonyms: infection is caused by an exogenous pathogen, while inflammation is the response of the organism to the pathogen.

In the absence of inflammation, wounds and infections would never heal and progressive destruction of the tissue would compromise the survival of the organism. However, inflammation which runs unchecked can also lead to a host of diseases, such as hay fever, atherosclerosis, and rheumatoid arthritis. It is for this reason that inflammation is normally tightly regulated by the body.

Inflammation can be classified as either acute or chronic. Acute inflammation is the initial response of the body to harmful stimuli and is achieved by the increased movement of plasma and leukocytes from the blood into the injured tissues. A cascade of biochemical events propagates and matures the inflammatory response, involving the local vascular system, the immune system, and various cells within the injured tissue. Prolonged inflammation, known as chronic inflammation, leads to a progressive shift in the type of cells which are present at the site of inflammation and is characterised by simultaneous destruction and healing of the tissue from the inflammatory process.

Causes of inflammation

Burns

Chemical irritants

Frostbite

Toxins

Infection by pathogens

Necrosis

Physical injury, blunt or penetrating

Immune reactions due to hypersensitivity

Ionizing radiation

Foreign bodies, including splinters and dirt

Types of inflammation

Crohn Disease (inflammation of the digestive tract?

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Eyelid Inflammation (Blepharitis)

Inflammation of the Testicle (Orchitis)

Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Colitis

Asthma (inflammation of the airways)

Psoriatic Arthritis

Interstitial Cystitis (inflammation of the bladder)

Knee Pain

Wegener Granulomatosis (inflammation of the blood vessels)

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May 2008