Acute and Chronic Inflammation Flashcards
Definition of inflammation?
Inflammation is a tissue response, caused by a wide range of stimuli and its purpose is to reduce injury
What are the 3 aims of inflammation?
1) Remove the stimuli that caused injury
2) Repair damage
3) Restore normal functioning of the tissue
When does inflammation stop?
When the stimuli that caused the injury is removed, the inflammatory mediators will be eliminated and the inflammation response will stop
Why is inflammation essential?
Wound healing
What are the 5 main reasons for why inflammation occurs?
1) Infections
2) Foreign bodies
3) Chemical or Physical damage
4) Immune reactions
5) Ischaemia
What are the 4 advantages of inflammation?
1) Limits injury
2) Removes dead cells
3) Promotes specific immunity
4) Facilitates repair and healing
What are the 3 disadvantages of inflammation?
1) Over inflammatory response (can lead to allergies/hypersensitivity)
2) Poor inflammatory response (basis of immunodeficiency disorders)
3) Inflammatory response can persist (leads to chronic inflammation)
What 4 things are needed for the inflammatory process to occur?
1) Plasma (proteins and fluid)
2) Cells that circulate in the blood
3) Blood vessels
4) Constituents of connective tissue
What 2 processes occur in inflammation?
1) Vascular reaction (changes that occur to the vessels)
2) Cellular reaction (changes that occur to the location and function of WBC’s)
What events occur in the vascular reaction of inflammation?
1) Inflammatory mediators cause vasodilation
2) This increases blood flow to the area
3) Blood pressure increases inside the blood vessels
4) This leads to the plasma leaking out into the connective tissue
5) Blood vessels become more permeable and the endothelial cells contract causing the WBC’s to leak out into the connective tissue
What events occur in the cellular reaction of inflammation?
1) Margination: WBC’s will migrate to the edge of the blood vessels where the pressure is greatest.
2) Adhesion: WBC’s adhere to the endothelial membrane
3) Diapedesis: Chemical mediators tell WBC’s to move out of the blood vessels and into the connective tissue
How can you detect inflammation?
There will be an increase in WBC count
Which WBC arrives at the site of injury 1st and is responsible for acute inflammation?
Neutrophils
Which WBC are not involved in the inflammatory process?
1) Platelets
2) Erythrocytes
What is the end site for inflammation?
Phagocytosis
What are the 5 cardinal signs of inflammation?
1) Redness
2) Swelling
3) Pain
4) Heat
5) Loss of function
What are the 8 general signs and symptoms of inflammation?
1) Fever
2) Increase blood pressure
3) Raised inflammatory mediators
4) Flu
5) Swelling
6) Anorexia
7) Weight loss
What are the 2 types of inflammation and their definition?
Acute (=immediate response to tissue injury) and Chronic (=follows acute if acute persists or some viruses can cause chronic straight away)
Which cells dominate in both types of inflammation?
Acute - Neutrophils
Chronic - Lymphocytes and Macrophages
How long does each type of inflammation last for?
Acute - short-lived
Chronic - Prolonged response (weeks - years)
What will happen in each type of inflammation?
Acute - full resolution of the tissue
Chronic - tissue destruction
What will happen if the tissue is not fully resolved by acute inflammation?
1) Scar formation
2) Abscess
3) Chronic inflammation
What are the causes of acute and chronic inflammation?
Acute - 1) Infarction 2) Infection 3) Trauma 4) Burn
Chronic - 1) Acute 2) Prolonged infection 3) Prolonged exposure to toxins 4) Autoimmune disease
Name an example for both acute and chronic inflammation?
Acute - Acute appendicitis
Chronic - Autoimmune diseases such as Rheumatoid arthritis and rejected transplant
Give 3 reasons why there would be no inflammatory response?
1) Increased susceptibility to infection
2) Delayed wound healing
3) Tissue damage
