Inflammation – Body’s immune response
Inflammation is the autoimmune response when our body/ immune system acts against foreign particle or bacteria/virus to kill them. Inflammation occurs only to that particular area where there is injury, irritation, or infection.
Inflammation can take place in various part of our body including:
Skin: When there is a cut, burns, infection, wounds, etc.
Internal organs: Such as inflammation to the lungs due to pneumonia or to liver due to hepatitis.
Joints: In case of rheumatoid arthritis
Blood vessels: Seen in case of atherosclerosis
Digestive tract: Mainly due to ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease
Signs of inflammation:
Swelling – Tumor – Due to accumulation of fluids in the body tissues.
Redness – Rubor – Occur due to increase in blood flow to the affected/ injured area.
Heat – Calor – Result of Rubor i.e. because of increased blood flow and metabolic activity.
Pain – Dolor – Due to release of chemicals such as bradykinins and prostaglandins
Loss of function – Laesa – Due to swelling & pain the affected area loses its function of mobility.
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Types of Inflammation: It can be categorized into 2 types
Depending upon its duration it can be categorized as:
Acute inflammation: It is for short duration having rapid onset of reaction lasting for few days.
Preacute – Inflammation that last for few minutes or hours e.g. ant bite
Subacute - Inflammation that last for one week
Chronic Inflammation: It last for longer duration (months) e.g. Jaundice
Chronic acute – inflammation that last permanently due to consistent irritation or dysregulation of immune response
On the Basis of organs
Dermitis – inflammation to Skin
Nephritis – inflammation in Kidney (nephron)
Glomerulo nephritis – inflammation to the Glomerulus of nephron
Conjunctivitis - inflammation to the conjunctive of eye
Meningitis – inflammation in Brain
Myositis - inflammation to muscle
Arthritis – inflammation in joints
Hepatitis – inflammation in liver cells
Mechanism of Inflammation
Migration
Rolling & Adhesive
Emigration
Chemotaxis
Degradation
Inflammation
Migration: When a foreign particle/ bacterium attacks a particular part of our body, the vasodilation of blood vessel takes place which results in increase in the size of lumen which in turn lead to increase in blood flow to that particular injured area.
Rolling & Adhesive: As the blood flow increases a large amount of mast cell / WBC’s (neutrophils, eosinophils, basophils) flow along with the blood (rolling) and these WBC’s start accumulating to the base of endothelial layer of blood vessel (Adhesive).
Emigration: The mast cell & Basophils emigrate to the affected cells through the pseudopodia of blood vessel.
Chemotaxis: The mast cell / basophils in the response of foreign particle release the chemical mediators known as histamine, leukotrienes and prostaglandins.
Degradation: Release of chemical mediators in the affected cell leads to cell rupture.
Inflammation: This immune reaction leads to inflammation since our own body cells get destroy and the person experience the 5 sign of inflammation such as Rubor, Tumor, Calor, Dolor & Laesa.
Article by: Ashaya Desai