Inflammation Flashcards
What is inflammation?
A protective mechanism designed to -
- Rid body of initial cause of injury
- Remove debris & tissues damaged secondary to this injury
What are the beneficial effects of inflammation?
- Dilution of toxins
- Immune response - neutrophils & antibodies
- Fibrin formation
- Nutrients & O2
- Entry of drugs
What are the problems of inflammation?
- Destruction of normal tissue
- Swelling
- Blockage of tubes
- Fluid loss
- Pain
- Inappropriate inflammation
What are the causes of inflammation?
Microbes, foreign bodies, dead cells, allergens, physical trauma/damage, chemical injury
What are the cardinal signs of inflammation?
- Rubor - redness
- Tumour - swelling
- Calor - heat
- Dolor - pain
- Functio Laesa - loss of function
What are the 4 stages by which neutrophils are recruited & migrate to site of inflammation?
- Margination
- Adhesion
- Emigration
- Chemotaxis
What are the stages of neutrophil phagocytosis?
- Recognise either directly via mannose receptors or opsonins & Fc + C3b receptors, then bind to material
- Phagocytose material
- Phagosome fuses with lysosome
- Phagolysosome destroys ingested material with degradative enzymes
What are the causes of chronic inflammation?
- Persisting infection
- Foreign material
- Certain chronic or autoimmune diseases
- Inadequate immune response
- Inadequate blood supply/persisting insult
What are the cells involved in chronic inflammation?
- Macrophages
- Lymphocytes - T & B cells
- Eosinophils
What are the possible outcomes of chronic inflammation?
- Continued chronic inflammation
- Repair
- Catastrophe
- Change in tissue function
- Scarring with dysfunction
What is granulomatous inflammation?
Subtype of chronic inflammation where neutrophil phagocytosis is inadequate to control causative agent
What is a granuloma?
Collection of macrophages
What are the 3 morphological patterns of inflammation?
- Serous
- Suppuration - pus
- Fibrinous - replacement by granulation tissue
