Inflammation: Classification Flashcards
What are the criteria for classification of inflammation?
- Duration
- Distribution
- Severity
- Morphology
- Response of the tissue
- All can be included as components of a morphologic diagnosis
What are the durations of inflammation?
-
Peracute:
- Begins minutes to hours after insult
- Cna last fo several hours
- Prominent vascular changes
-
Acute:
- Begins 4-6 hours after insult
- Can last for several days
- Vascular and erly cellular changes
-
Subacute:
- Begins several days after insult
- Can lst several weeks
- mixed cellular response with decreasing vascular response
-
Chronic:
- Begins several days to weeks after insult
- Can last for weeks, months or years
- Mononuclear cells and fibrosis with minimal vascular response
How is the distribution of the lesion classified?
-
Focal
- A single delineated lesion
-
Multifocal
- multiple, randomly scattered focal lesions
-
Locally extensive
- a single lesion involving a large area of tissue
-
Diffuse
- A lesion involving the entire tissue in which it is found
How is the severity of the lesion classified?
-
Mild
- Vascular change, mild cellular change
- NO tissue destruction
-
Moderate
- Prominant vascular and cellular change
- some tissue destruction
-
Severe
- Extension of vascular and cellular changes
- extensive tissue destruction
What are the common classification of Exudate / cell type?
- Serous
- Catarrhal
- Fibrinous
- Purulent
- Hemorrhagic
- Eosinophilic
- Lymphocytic
- Granulomatous
What is Serous inflammation?
- Accumulation of serum-like fluid
- Causes:
- Joint trauma
- Early response to bacterial and viral infection
- Mild Chemical irritants
- Certain insect bits
- Effects:
- Dilution of the offending agent
- Excessive fluid can interfere with tissue function
What is the morphology of serous inflammation?
- Gross appearance:
- Watery fluid within body cavities or tissue
- Histological appearance:
- Homogenous pink fluid

What is catarrhal inflammation?
- Presence of large amounts of mucus
- Causes:
- Mild upper Respiratory viral infections
- Mild irritants
- Effects:
- Potection of mucosal surfaces
- Dilution of the offending agent
What is the morpholgy of cararrhal inflammation?
- Gross:
- Clear, slimy fim that covers mucosal surface
- Can appear as shreds and clumps when it is partially dehydrated
- Histological:
- Pale, blue material that covers mucosal epithelium
- Mucus producing cells are increased in size and #

What is fibrinous inflammation?
- Presence of a large amount of fibrin
- Causes:
- Bacterial infections
- Certain viral infections
- Burns
- Effects:
- Protection of underlying tissue
- Prevention of blood loss
- A scaffold for subsequent formation of fibrous tissue
What is the morphology of fibrinous inflammation
- Gross:
- Yellowish adhesive material
- can occur as a granular covering, to thick sheets, clumps or fine
- Histological:
- Fibrillar, web-like eosinophilic material

What is purulent inflammation?
- Presence of large number of neutrophils
- Causes:
- Certain types of bacteria
- Certain chemical irritants
- Effects:
- Defense against infectious agents
- Production of pro-inflammatory agents/toxins
- Sometimes, interference with tissue function
What is the morphology of purulent inflammation?
- Gross:
- Viscous to watery, cream-colored material on mucosal surfaces or within tissues
- Histological:
- Large numbers of neutrophils are present, often accompanied by fibrin and inflammatory debris

What is an abscess?
- A localized and confined accumulation of neutrophils and liquefied debris
- Represents failure of acute inflammaitno to remove the inflammatory stimulus
- A chronic lesion
- can take several weeks to form
- Has a fibrous capsule
- thin, can thicken overtime
- Walled off from normal adjacent tissue
- can act as a space occupying mass and interfere with tissue/organ function

What is hemorrhagic inflammation?
- Presence of large amounts of hemorrhage at an inflammatory site
- Causes:
- Agents that cause vascular inury
- highly virulent infectious agents
- Certain chemicals
- Agents that cause vascular inury
- Effects:
- Typically arise quickly
- Often associated with more severe inflammation
What is the morphology of hemorrhagic inflammation?
- Gross:
- Inflamed mucosa or tissue is deep red
- associated exudate is red-tinged
- Histological:
- large numbers of erythrocytes are present in the inflammatory region

What is eosinophilic inflammation?
- Presence of large numbers of eosinophils
- Causes:
- Hypersensitivity reactions
- Parasitic infections
- Effects:
- Mediates local or sytemic hypersensitivity reactions
What is the morphology of eosinophilic inflammation?
- Gross:
- Affected tissue may have a grey to greenish-grey appearance
- Histological:
- Affected tissue contains large numbers of eosinophils

What is lyphocytic inflammation?
- Presence of large numbers of lyphocytes
- Causes:
- Certain viral infections
- Chronic bacterial and fungal infections
- Immunological reactions
- Effects:
- Immunlogial response to antigens
- Important component of chronic inflammation
What is the morphology of lymphocytic inflammation?
- Gross:
- Not often evident grossly
- May give affected tissue a whitish-appearance
- Histological:
- Numerous lymphocytes are present either individually or in nodular aggregates

What is granulomatous inflammation?
- Presence of large numbers of macrophages
- Causes:
- Persistent (chronic) bacterial infections
- Most fungi
- Certain parasites
- Foreign bodies
- Effects:
- Associated with chronic, difficult to manage inflammatory agents
- Can form solid masses and interfere with tissue function
What is the morphology of granulomatous inflammation?
- Gross:
- Can occur as diffuse thickening of an affected tissue
- Or the formtion of firm nodules or masses
- Histological:
- Numerous macrophages are present along with cells derivved from macrophages, and lymphocytes and plasma cells
What is the morphology of a granuloma?
- Consist of:
- Central core of caseous necrosis
- Zone of epithelioid macrophages and giant cells
- Zone of lymphocytes
- Outer zone of fibroblasts and collagen
- Many variations depending on the age of the granuloma and the inciting stimulus
- some lack central necrotc core
- some have minimal fibrosis

What are the classifications of tissue response?
- Alterative changes:
- Necrotizing
- Ulcerative
- Atrophic
- Fibrosing
- Prolifrative changes:
- Hyperplastic
- Hypertrophic
