Everyone has ever had something inflamed. Sometimes, even, it is not an obvious phenomenon. On the other hand, sometimes it is harmful to our body, while other times, it is a necessary process to heal. So today we are going to explore what inflammation is all about.
What is inflammation?
Inflammation is a response of the body’s immune system . It is a process in which the chemical substances of the white blood cells, leukocytes, enter the tissues or the blood to generate a response in order to protect the body from any invader foreign to our body. These foreign invaders can be microorganisms, such as fungi, viruses or bacteria, or even a splinter on your finger. At that time, antibodies and other proteins are released into the bloodstream and blood flow increases according to the injury that produces the response.
So, getting a little technical, an antibody is a protein produced by the body’s immune system when it detects harmful substances, called antigens . Examples of antigens include microorganisms (such as bacteria, fungi, parasites, and viruses) and harmful chemicals. Each type of antibody is unique and defends the body against a specific type of antigen.
It is worth mentioning that antigens are proteins, but they are only a small part of them. In fact, most proteins are not antigens. Hemoglobin, for example, is a protein. In a way, proteins are like a toolbox , where each instrument is a protein in itself. Thus, we understand that proteins are very diverse molecules, and are essential for life. So much so, that most proteins perform more than one function. Therefore, proteins together are responsible for many things, such as growth, repair and maintenance of the body. The proteins that a cell, a tissue or an organism has depend on genetic information.
As I’m sure you know, a wound can blister, cause irritation, and turn red to show inflammation. But sometimes antibodies can be produced when the immune system mistakenly sees healthy tissue as a harmful substance. This is called an autoimmune disorder . This reaction leads to autoimmune diseases, such as type 1 diabetes.
By now you should be clear that it is not possible to state whether inflammation is beneficial or harmful in a categorical way . On the one hand, when one is injured, the inflammation turns out to be a boon to the body, helping it to heal itself. On the other hand, the continued progress of inflammation can damage joints, organs, or arteries. In addition, there are conditions that are characterized, among other things, by chronic inflammation of some tissues (sometimes not obvious to the naked eye), including heart disease , type 2 diabetes and obesity.
Signs and symptoms of inflammation
There are two types of inflammation, acute and chronic . Acute inflammation is the immediate response that results in redness, warmth, loss of function, pain, and swelling . These are the signs and symptoms of acute inflammation, the one that surely comes to mind when you think of this concept, but it is not always necessary that one has these symptoms. Sometimes inflammation exists silently in the body and does not manifest any symptoms.
The symptoms of chronic inflammation are much more complex and subtle than those of acute inflammation. If a person has chronic inflammation, they may feel fatigued, have gastrointestinal complications, weight gain or loss, body pain, anxiety or depression, and persistent infections as symptoms. These signs can range from mild to severe. They usually last for many months or years .
General responses in the body
When a person feels severe inflammation in the body, they may feel exhausted and sick due to fever . It is because your immune system is very active and needs more energy. There will be more production of the antibodies and cells of the immune system, in addition to increasing the metabolic rate , the amount of energy the body requires to function, due to the temperature in the body. The increase in cells and proteins in the bloodstream also causes changes in the blood, often making it thicker.
On the other hand, sometimes bacteria are capable of multiplying exponentially and super quickly in that part of the body they are infecting, until, suddenly, they are able to penetrate the tissue they infect enough to enter the vessels that nourish it. and, therefore, to access the bloodstream. At that time we are already talking about a serious and potentially fatal complication of infections, septicemia or sepsis .
How does chronic inflammation affect the body?
Healthy cells, tissues, and organs are damaged by the body’s inflammatory responses when a person has chronic inflammation . Ultimately, it leads to tissue death, DNA damage, and internal scarring over time. Therefore, people tend to face various diseases such as cancer , rheumatoid arthritis , heart disease , type 2 diabetes , asthma , obesity , cognitive decline, and dementia in older adults.
How does inflammation affect internal organs?
Inflammation can influence organs in the body as an autoimmune disorder . As we mentioned before, type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease, while type 2 is not. Signs and symptoms depend on the type of organ affected by the inflammation. For example, if a person is dealing with inflammation of the heart ( myocarditis ), they may suffer from fluid accumulation and shortness of breath, or if they have inflammation of the kidneys ( nephritis ), they tend to suffer from kidney failure or high blood pressure. It is quite likely that people will not feel pain with an inflammatory disease, since various organs do not have various pain-sensing nerves .
People should consult their doctor and take appropriate medications to treat inflammation, as the ultimate goal of treatments for inflammation is to reduce the disease process and prevent severe pain, redness, and irritation. But not all anti-inflammatories are equally effective or safe for all processes, so it is important that the assessment is done by a qualified professional.
Conclusions
Inflammation has positive and negative aspects, from aiding recovery from injury by releasing antibodies and increasing blood flow to the point of injury, to undesirable symptoms and tissue destruction if prolonged over time. Furthermore, if it lasts too long, we would be talking about chronic inflammation, with other symptoms and capable of causing disease.
On the other hand, sometimes the body doesn’t recognize foreign invaders and begins to assume its own cells as foreign. As a result, it begins to damage the body’s own cells by mistake, ultimately leading to autoimmune diseases.
There is medication for many of the processes underlying an inflammatory process. However, these should be properly assessed by a doctor.
References:
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