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 Occurs With Inflammation?
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), 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:
- Entry of microbes (bacteria)
- Vasodilation (widening of the lumen of blood vessels) of the microcirculation (small blood vessels) resulting in increased blood flow
- An increase in vascular (a channel or vessel for the conveyance of a body fluid) permeability to protein
- Filtration of fluid into the tissue which leads to swelling
- Exit of neutrophils (a type of white blood cell) and later monocytes (another type of white blood cell) from the blood vessels into the tissues
- Phagocytosis and destruction of the microbes
- Tissue repair
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:
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 include:
- 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. Symptoms depend 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:
Rest
Modify activities which cause pain.
Exercise
Physical therapy and exercise that maintains joint movement and muscle strength, including:
- Over One-Third Of People With Arthritis Get No Exercise
- How To Exercise When You Have Arthritis
- Exercise: Essential Treatment For Arthritis
Surgical Options
Joint 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.
Sources:
Human Physiology, by Arthur J. Vander, James H. Sherman, Dorothy S. Luciano
Inflammation: The Leukocyte Adhesion Cascade
http://bme.virginia.edu/ley/main.html
What You Need To Know About Inflammation. The Cleveland Clinic.
http://my.clevelandclinic.org/symptoms/inflammation/hic_inflammation_what_you_need_to_know.aspx
