ICS - Pathology Flashcards
Define inflammation
A local physiological response to tissue injury
Give an advantage of inflammation
Can destroy invading micro-organisms and can prevent the spread of infection
Give a disadvantage of inflammation
Can produce disease and lead to distorted tissues with permanently altered function
Define acute inflammation
Initial and often transient series of tissue reactions to injury
What are the main cells involved in acute inflammation?
Neutrophils and monocytes
What are the main steps of acute inflammation?
- Initial reaction of tissue to injury
- Vascular component (vessels dilate)
- Exudative component (vascular leakage of protein-rich fluid)
- Neutrophil polymorph (phagocytose)
Define exudate
A protein-rich fluid that leaks out of vessel walls due to increased vascular permeability
What are examples of acute inflammation?
- Acute appendicitis
- Frostbite
- Streptococcal sore throat
What vascular changes occur in acute inflammation?
- Increased blood flow through capillaries
- Increased vascular permeability (exudation)
What is the role of tissue macrophages in acute inflammation?
Secrete chemical mediators that attract neutrophil polymorphs
What is the role of the lymphatic system in acute inflammation?
Lymphatic channels dilate and drain away oedematous fluid (reduces swelling). Antigens are also carried to lymph nodes for recognition by lymphocytes
What are the main steps of neutrophil polymorph migration?
- Margination
- Adhesion/Pavementing
- Emigration
- Diapedesis
Describe margination (neutrophil polymorph migration)
Neutrophils migrate to the peripheral part of blood vessels near the endothelium due to increased plasma viscosity
Describe adhesion/pavementing (neutrophil polymorph migration)
Neutrophils adhere to vascular endothelium in venules. Results from interactions between paired adhesion molecules (on leucocyte and endothelial surfaces)
Describe emigration (neutrophil polymorph migration)
Neutrophils pass through endothelial cells and through the basal lamina into the adventitia
Describe diapedesis (neutrophil polymorph migration)
A passive process that depends on hydrostatic pressure. RBCs sometimes escape from vessels which indicates severe vascular injury (e.g. tear in vessel wall)
What is released from injured tissues that causes the acute inflammation response to spread?
Chemical mediators e.g. histamine and thrombin
Give 3 endogenous chemical mediators of acute inflammation
- Bradykinin
- Histamine
- Nitric oxide
What is the main source (and other sources) of histamine?
Mast cells (stored in granules in their cytoplasm)
Also basophils, eosinophils and platelets
What do chemical mediators such as histamine cause?
- Vasodilation
- Emigration of neutrophils
- Chemotaxis
- Increased vascular permeability
- Itching and pain
Give 6 causes of inflammation
- Microbial infections (bacteria, viruses)
- Hypersensitivity reactions (parasites, TB)
- Physical agents (trauma, burns, frost bite)
- Chemicals (corrosives, acids, alkalis)
- Bacteria toxins
- Tissue necrosis (ischaemia, infarction)
What does viral infection result in?
Cell death due to intracellular multiplication
What does bacterial infection result in?
The release of exotoxins (involved in the initiation of inflammation) or endotoxins
What are the 5 cardinal signs of inflammation?
- Rubor (redness)
- Calor (heat)
- Tumor (swelling)
- Dolor (pain)
- Loss of function
What are the 4 outcomes of inflammation?
- Resolution
- Suppuration
- Organisation
- Progression
Describe resolution in inflammation
- Complete restoration of tissues to normal
- Minimal cell death and tissue damage
- Rapid destruction of causal agent
- Most common in organs capable of regeneration (e.g. liver)
- E.g. acute lobar pneumonia
Describe suppuration in inflammation
- Formation of pus
- Pus accumulates and becomes surrounded by pyogenic membrane
- Leads to granulation tissue and scarring
- E.g. staphylococcus aureus
Describe organisation in inflammation
- Replacement by granulation tissue (scar tissue formation)
- Occurs when substantial volumes of tissue become necrotic or is not easily digested
- Fibrosis occurs
- E.g. pleural space following acute lobar pneumonia
Describe progression in inflammation
- Causative agent is not removed
- Progresses to chronic inflammation
How can acute inflammation be diagnosed histologically?
Looking for the presence of neutrophil polymorphs
Give 4 systemic effects of acute inflammation
- Fever
- Feeling unwell
- Weight loss
- Reactive hyperplasia of the reticuloendothelial system
Define chronic inflammation
Subsequent prolonged response to tissue injury
What are the main cells involved in chronic inflammation?
Lymphocytes, macrophages and plasma cells
Give 4 causes of chronic inflammation
- Primary chronic inflammation
- Transplant rejection
- Recurrent acute inflammation
- Progression from acute inflammation
Give 5 examples of primary chronic inflammation
- Resistance of infective agent (e.g. TB, leprosy)
- Endogenous materials (e.g. necrotic tissue, uric acid crystals)
- Exogenous materials (e.g. silica, asbestos)
- Autoimmune conditions (e.g. rheumatoid arthritis, chronic gastritis)
- Primary granulomatous diseases (e.g. Crohn’s, sarcoidosis)
Give 4 macroscopic appearances of chronic inflamamtion
- Chronic ulcer
- Chronic abscess cavity
- Granulomatous inflammation
- Fibrosis
Give 4 microscopic appearances of chronic inflammation
- Lymphocytes, plasma cells and macrophages
- Exudation not common
- Evidence of continuing destruction
- Possible tissue necrosis
Define granulation tissue
Tissue composed of small blood vessels in a connective tissue matrix with myofibroblasts (important in healing and repair)
Define granuloma
Aggregate of epithelioid histocytes
Give examples of granulomatous diseases
- TB
- Leprosy
- Crohn’s disease
- Sarcoidosis
Explain the difference between resolution and repair
Resolution - initiating factor is removed and tissue is able to regenerate
Repair - initiating factor is still present and tissue is unable to regenerate
Name 5 cells capable of regeneration
- Hepatocytes
- Osteocytes
- Pneumocytes
- Blood cells
- Gut and skin epithelial cells
Name 2 cells incapable of regeneration
- Myocardial cells
- Neuronal cells
What cells produce collagen in fibrous scarring?
Fibroblasts
Give an example of a chronic inflammatory process from the start
Infectious mononucleosis
Define laminar flow
Streamline movement of blood - cells travel in the centre of arterial vessels and don’t touch the sides
Define thrombosis
Solidification of blood contents that forms within vascular system during life
Give 2 reasons why thrombosis is uncommon
- Laminar flow
- Non sticky endothelial cells
What do platelets contain?
- Alpha granules (involved in platelet adhesion e.g. fibrinogen)
- Dense granules (involved in platelet aggregation e.g. ADP)
What is Virchow’s traid?
3 factors that can lead to thrombus formation:
1. Reduced blood flow
2. Blood vessel injury
3. Increased coaguability
What are the 4 outcomes of thrombosis?
- Resolution (body dissolves and clears it)
- Organisation (becomes a scar and slightly narrows vessel lumen)
- Recanalisation (intimal cells may proliferate and capillaries may grow into thrombus and fuse)
- Embolus (fragments break off into circulation)
Describe an arterial thrombus
- Commonly caused by atheroma
- High pressure
- Mainly made of platelets
- Can lead to myocardial infarction/stroke
- Treated by anti-platelets e.g. aspirin
Describe a venous thrombus
- Commonly caused by stasis
- Low pressure
- Mainly made of RBCs
- Can lead to deep vein thrombosis/pulmonary embolism
- Treated by anti-coagulants e.g. warfarin, apixaban
Define embolus
Mass of material (usually a thrombus) in the vascular system able to lodge in a vessel and block its lumen
Give 6 causes of embolisms
- Thrombus
- Air (e.g. pressurised systems of IV fluids)
- Cholesterol crystals (from atheromatous plaques)
- Tumour
- Amniotic fluid
- Fat (severe trauma with multiple fractures)
Describe arterial embolisms
- Systemic embolism
- Can travel anywhere downstream of entry point
- Cholesterol crystals from atheromatous plaques in the descending aorta can go to any lower limb or renal artery
What are mural thrombi?
Thrombi that attach to the wall of blood vessels and cardiac chambers. Mural thrombi in the left ventricle can go anywhere in the systemic circulation
Describe venous embolisms
- Pulmonary embolism
- Emboli travel to the vena cava and lodge in the pulmonary arteries
- The lungs acts as a filter for venous emboli (blood vessels split down to capillary size)
Define ischaemia
Reduction in blood flow
Define infarction
Necrosis of part of an organ that occurs when the artery supplying it becomes obstructed
Give 3 examples of organs with a dual arterial supply
- Liver (hepatic arteries and portal veins)
- Lungs (bronchial arteries and pulmonary veins)
- Some areas of the brain around the circle of willis
Why are tissues with an end arterial supply more susceptible to infarction?
Only have a single arterial supply