Inflammation
Inflammation is your body's protective response to irritation, injury, or infection. It's characterized by redness, heat, pain, swelling, and loss of function. Inflammation helps remove harmful stimuli and initiate the healing process.
There are two main types of inflammation:
- Acute inflammation starts rapidly and becomes severe rather quickly. Its main signs are swelling, redness, heat, and pain. It may feel tender when touched. Acute inflammation doesn't last long - its purpose is to heal injured tissues.
- Chronic inflammation persists over longer periods of time. It may result from:
- Failure to eliminate whatever caused the initial (acute) inflammation
- An autoimmune response (the body attacking its own tissues)
- Exposure to a long-lasting irritant
Some common causes of inflammation include:
- Infections from bacteria, viruses, or fungi
- Injuries such as wounds or sprains
- Toxins from environmental pollutants
Inflammation can affect organs as part of specific conditions:
- Asthma involves inflammation of bronchial tubes
- Arthritis involves inflammation of joints
Inflammation serves the useful purpose of helping protect and heal the body. But too much inflammation can also cause harm. Many chronic diseases involve inflammation, including heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer's disease, and cancer.
Controlling inflammation is key for managing these conditions. Anti-inflammatory treatments like NSAIDs, steroids, DMARDs, and biologics can help reduce excessive inflammation. Lifestyle measures like eating an anti-inflammatory diet, maintaining a healthy weight, getting regular exercise, avoiding smoking, and reducing stress are also important.
I hope this gives you a helpful overview explaining what inflammation is! Let me know if you have any other questions.