Inflammation: The Battle Within

What Is Inflammation?

Inflammation is the body's basic response to injury. A sequence of complicated, interrelated events work to defend the body, ultimately bringing plasma proteins and phagocytes (white blood cells that engulf and consume foreign material and debris) to the injured area for the purpose of initiating tissue repair.

What Is Going On?

The sequence of events which occur during an inflammatory response can vary, depending on the type or cause of injury (i.e bacteria, cold, heat, trauma, etc.), the site of the injury, and the state of the body. In a localized infection, for example, the sequence of events can be briefly summarized in 7 steps:

Inflammation And Disease

In some diseases, the inflammatory process can be triggered even when there are no foreign invaders. In autoimmune diseases, the body's normally protective immune system damages its own tissues, as it erroneously recognizes self as foreign, and normal as abnormal. Some of the types of arthritis are the result of this misdirected inflammation.

Inflammation And Arthritis

The term arthritis literally means inflammation (itis) of the joint (arthr). Some of the types of arthritis which are associated with inflammation include:

• rheumatoid arthritis
• gout
• tendonitis
• bursitis
• polymyalgia rheumatica

Inflammatory Activity

An excellent explanation of the destructive pathways of rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory activity is in Conquering Rheumatoid Arthritis: The Latest Breakthroughs and Treatments by Thomas F. Lee, Ph.D.

In arthritis, symptoms indicative of the inflammatory process includes:

• red, swollen joints which are warm to the touch
• joint pain and stiffness
• loss of joint function

When joint inflammation occurs, the increased number of cells and inflammatory substances within the joint cause irritation, wearing away cartilage (the cushions at the ends of the bones), and cause swelling of the joint lining. Even flu-like symptoms can accompany the inflammatory process.

Organs

Inflammation can also affect organs in autoimmune diseases. The type of symptom depends on the particular organ affected.

• Inflammation of the heart (myocarditis) can cause shortness of breath or fluid retention.
• Inflammation of kidneys is known as nephritis and may cause kidney failure or high blood pressure.
• Inflammation of the large intestine, known as colitis, may cause cramps and diarrhea.

Treatment Options For Inflammation

People with inflammatory joint disease have many treatment options:

Medications

Control inflammation and relieve pain through analgesics, anti-inflammatory drugs, and other medications. Drug options include:

• NSAIDs
• Analgesics (Pain Killers)
• Corticosteroids
• DMARDs
• BRMs / Biologics

Rest

Modify activities which cause pain.

Exercise

Both physical therapy and exercise for arthritis that maintain joint movement and muscle strength such as:

• Cycling
• Tai Chi
• Walking
• Water Exercise
• Yoga

Surgical Options

Surgery and other orthopedic procedures.

Joint Protection

Joint protection techniques and the use of various assistive devices and adaptive aids to reduce stress on the joints.

What's Ahead?

The goal of inflammation research is to develop ways to control inflammation by modulating or blocking leukocyte (white blood cell) adhesion to the endothelium (the layer of flat cells lining the closed spaces of the body such as the inside of blood vessels, lymphatic vessels, the heart, and body cavities). These concepts contribute even further to the development of anti-inflammatory drugs - drugs which will block, suppress, or modulate the inflammatory response.

Related Resources - Inflammation

_{Sources: Human Physiology, by Arthur J. Vander, James H. Sherman, Dorothy S. Luciano; Inflammation: The Leukocyte Adhesion Cascade; What You Need To Know About Inflammation, The Cleveland Clinic}