Inflammation

This is a complex defense reaction of the body to the harmful effects that cause functional and structural changes in tissues and blood vessels. The harmful factor is destroyed, removed, or limited. Inflammation is caused by exogenous and endogenous factors. Exogenous factors include biological (such as various viruses, bacteria, other parasites), mechanical (injury), chemical, thermal (frostbite, burns), and radiation (sunburn) factors. Endogenous factors include tissue necrosis, immune factors, etc. When inflammation occurs, certain symptoms become more pronounced: redness, swelling, temperature rise, pain, organ dysfunction. Inflammation subsides when, in the absence of the harmful factor, tissue anatomical and physiological properties fully recover, i.e. the body returns to its normal state. Scarring may occur, indicating that the tissues have only partially regenerated anatomically. Sometimes tissues die at the site of inflammation, greatly reducing the body’s adaptability. If a vital organ is damaged, the body no longer adapts to new conditions and dies.

Source | Glossary of Most Commonly Used Biomedical Terms and Concepts | Lithuanian University of Health Sciences | Academician Professor Antanas Praškevičius, Professor Laima Ivanovienė