Pathology Flashcards
What is acute inflammation?
Initial response of tissue to injury
Describe the onset of acute inflammation.
Early onset (seconds to minutes)
How long does acute inflammation last?
Short duration (hours to days)
What cells are involved in acute inflammation?
Neutrophils and monocytes
What steps are involved in acute inflammation?
Vascular and exudative component and recruitment of neutrophil polymorphs
What is the vascular component of acute inflammation?
Dilation of vessels
What is the exudative component of acute inflammation?
Vascular leakage of protein-rich fluid
What are the causes of acute inflammation?
Microbial infections, hypersensitivity reactions, physical agents, chemicals, bacterial toxins and tissue necrosis
What are some causes of microbial infections?
Bacteria, viruses
What are some causes of hypersensitivity reactions?
Parasites
What physical agents can cause acute inflammation?
Trauma, heat, cold
What chemicals can cause acute inflammation?
Corrosives, acids
Give a cause of tissue necrosis.
Ischaemic infarction
What are the 5 characteristics of acute inflammation?
Rubor (redness), calor (heat), tumor (swelling), dolor (pain) and loss of function
What is rubor?
Redness
What is calor?
Heat (only peripheral in acute inflammation)
What is tumor?
Swelling
What is dolor?
Pain
What causes redness in acute inflammation?
Dilation of small vessels
What causes swelling in acute inflammation?
Oedema or a physical mass
How are vessels affected in the acute inflammatory response process?
Changes in vessel calibre (gets wider) which increases vessel flow
How is vascular permeability affected in the acute inflammatory response process?
Increased vascular permeability which leads to formation of fluid exudate
How do neutrophil polymorphs reach the site of acute inflammation?
Increased vascular permeability which allows for the formation of cellular exudate
What are the stages of neutrophil polymorph emigration?
- Migration of neutrophils
- Adhesion of neutrophils
- Neutrophil emigration
- Diapedesis
Why do neutrophils migrate in acute inflammation?
Due to increase in plasma viscosity and slowing of flow due to injury
Where do neutrophils first migrate to in acute inflammation?
Plasmatic zone
What happens once neutrophils have migrated to the plasmatic zone in acute inflammation?
Adhesion to the vascular endothelium occurs in venules (pavementing)
What happens after pavementing during acute inflammation?
Neutrophils pass through endothelial cells, onto the basal lamina and then the vessel wall
What happens in diapedesis in acute inflammation?
RBCs may also escape from vessels. This is a passive process and indicates severe vascular injury
What are the outcomes of acute inflammation?
- Resolution
- Suppuration
- Organisation
- Progression
What is resolution in terms of acute inflammation?
- The complete restoration of tissues to normal
- There is minimal cell death and rapid destruction of the causal agent
Give an example of a disease where resolution is seen after acute inflammation.
Acute lobar pneumonia
What is suppuration?
- Formation of pus
- This becomes surrounded by a pyogenic membrane, which is the start of healing
What does suppuration lead to?
Scarring
What is organisation in terms of acute inflammation?
- Replacement by granulation tissue
- New capillaries grow into the inflammatory exudate, macrophages migrate and fibrosis occurs
What is progression in terms of acute inflammation?
Causative agent is not removed so there is progression to chronic inflammation
What is chronic inflammation?
Subsequent and prolonged response to tissue injury
What cells are involved in chronic inflammation?
Lymphocytes, macrophages and plasma cells
When does chronic inflammation occur?
Longer onset
How long does chronic inflammation last?
Long last effects
What are the causes of primary chronic inflammation?
- Resistance of infective agent
- Endogenous materials
- Exogenous materials
- Autoimmune conditions
- Primary granulomatous diseases
- Transplant rejection
What infective agents could cause chronic inflammation?
TB, leprosy
What endogenous materials could cause chronic inflammation?
Necrotic tissue
What exogenous materials could cause chronic inflammation?
Asbestos, silica
What autoimmune conditions could cause chronic inflammation?
Hashimoto’s, rheumatoid arthritis
What primary granulomatous diseases could cause chronic inflammation?
Crohn’s, sarcoidosis
What is the macroscopic appearance of chronic inflammation?
- Chronic ulcer
- Chronic abscess cavity
- Granulomatous inflammation
- Fibrosis
What is the microscopic appearance of chronic inflammation?
- Characteristically lymphocytes, plasma cells and macrophages
- Evidence of continuing destruction
- Possible tissue necrosis
What microscopic feature of acute inflammation is not seen in chronic inflammation?
Exudation (are others but cba lol)
What do macrophages do?
Respond to chemotactic stimuli
Produce cytokines
What cytokines do macrophages produce?
Interferon alpha and beta, IL1, 6, 8, TNF-alpha
In what type of inflammation are granulomas seen?
Chronic
What are granulomas?
Aggregate of epithelioid histocytes (clump of macrophages surrounded by lymphocytes)
What conditions can cause granulomas?
TB, leprosy, Crohn’s and sarcoidosis
What is the most common condition to cause granulomas?
TB
What stain can be used to identify TB granulomas?
Ziehl-Neelsen stain
What does the combination of granulomas and eosinophils indicate?
A parasite
What happens to the cells involved in acute inflammation?
Neutrophil extravasation
What happens to the cells involved in chronic inflammation?
- Cellular infiltrate of lymphocytes, macrophages and plasma cells
- Possible granulomas
What is thrombosis?
The solidification of blood contents that forms within the vascular system during life
What are the features of platelets?
- No nucleus
- Alpha granules and dense granules
What are platelets derived from?
Megakaryocytes
What do alpha granules do?
Involved in platelet adhesion e.g. fibrinogen
What do dense granules do?
Cause platelets to aggregate e.g. ADP
What do platelets do once activated?
Release their granules when they come into contact with collagen
What happens if platelets are activated within an intact vessel?
A thrombus is formed
What is the result of chronic inflammation?
Fibrosis and scar tissue
What is the first stage of thrombosis?
Platelet aggregation (starts the clotting cascade)
Why are platelet aggregation and the clotting cascade hard to stop?
Both have positive feedback loops
What factors contribute to thrombosis?
Virchow’s triad:
- Reduced blood flow
- Increased coagulability
- Blood vessel injury
Give some examples of causes of reduced blood flow.
Atrial fibrillation Long distance travel Varicose veins Venous obstruction (e.g. pregnancy) Immobility Ventricular/venous insufficiency
Give some examples of causes of increased coagulability.
Sepsis
Smoking
Coagulation disorders
Malignancy (e.g. cancer)
Give some examples of causes of blood vessel injury.
Trauma (especially orthopaedic)
Orthopaedic or major surgery
Hypertension
Invasive procedures (e.g. cannulation
Referring to Virchow’s triad, what causes thrombosis?
2 factors from Virchow’s triad
What is the first stage of arterial thrombosis?
An atheromatous plaque that results in a change in the vessel wall
What might atheromatous plaques have?
A fatty streak - yellow streaks on arterial wall
What happens after the formation of the atheromatous plaque and consequent change in the arterial wall?
Over time, the plaque grows and protrudes into the lumen which causes a degree of turbulence in blood flow
Describe normal blood flow.
Laminar flow - red blood cells flow through the middle of the vessel and do not collide with the endothelium
What does turbulent blood flow cause?
Loss of intimal/endothelial cells which exposes collagen
What happens after intimal cells are lost as a result of turbulent blood flow?
Fibrin deposition and platelet clumping occurs. Platelets adhere to exposed collagen and activate
What happens once platelet aggregation has commenced on the arterial endothelium?
Formation of the platelet layer (first layer of thrombus)
What does the first layer of thrombus allow for?
Precipitation of a fibrin meshwork in which RBCs get trapped
What happens to the fibrin meshwork formed during thrombosis?
The structure protrudes further into the lumen causing more turbulence and more platelet deposition
In what direction do thrombi grow?
In the direction of blood flow - propagation
Do atheroma form in veins?
No - there is lower blood pressure in veins
Where do thrombi begin in veins?
Valves
How can veins become damaged and cause thrombosis?
Valves produce a degree of turbulence and can be damaged e.g. trauma, stasis
What happens in the veins if blood pressure falls?
Flow through the veins slows, allowing for a thrombus to form
What are the clinical features of arterial thrombi?
Loss of pulse distal to thrombus
Area becomes cold, pale and painful
Possible gangrene
What are the clinical features of venous thrombi?
Tender
Area becomes reddened and swollen
What can happen after thrombus formation?
Resolution
Organisation
Recanalisation
Embolus
What happens in the resolution of a thrombus?
Body dissolves and clears it
What happens in the organisation of a thrombus?
Becomes a scar - results in slight narrowing of the vessel lumen
What happens in recanalisation of a thrombus?
Intimal cells may proliferate
Capillaries may grow into the thrombus and fuse to form larger vessels
How does a thrombus turn into an embolus?
Fragments of the thrombus break off into the circulation
What is an arterial thrombus most commonly caused by?
Atheroma
What is a venous thrombus most commonly caused by?
Stasis
What type of blood pressure causes arterial thrombi?
High
What type of blood pressure causes venous thrombi?
Low
What are arterial thrombi mainly made of?
Platelets
What are venous thrombi mainly made of?
RBCs
What conditions can arterial thrombi lead to?
MI/stroke
What can venous thrombi lead to?
DVT/PE
How are arterial thrombi treated?
Anti-platelets e.g. aspirin
How are venous thrombi treated?
Anti-coagulants e.g. warfarin
What is an embolism?
A mass of material in the vascular system able to lodge in a vessel and block its lumen
What type of embolism do arterial embolisms cause?
Systemic embolism
Where can arterial emboli travel to?
Anywhere downstream of its entry point
Where can mural thrombi in the left ventricle go?
Anywhere
Where can cholesterol crystals from an atheromatous plaque in the descending aorta go to?
Any lower limb or the renal artery
What conditions can thrombi in the left ventricle cause if they form emboli?
Cerebral infarct (stroke)
Renal infarct
Ischaemic bowel
Ischaemic foot (dry gangrene)
What type of embolism do venous embolisms cause?
Pulmonary emboli
Where do emboli travel to in the venous system?
The vena cava and lodge in the pulmonary arteries (pulmonary embolism)