S1: Acute Inflammation Flashcards
What is Acute Inflammation?
It is the initial response to tissue injury. It is relatively non specific and will occur with any type of injury. It is an innate immune response and occurs rapidly.
List some triggers of acute inflammation
- Pathogens (infection) such as bacteria, viruses and parasites
- Physical agents such as frost bite, radiation which damage tissue
- Chemical agents like chemical burns and irritants
- Mechanical Injury like trauma
- Foreign bodies like swallowed dentures
What is the purpose of inflammation?
- Alert the body
- Limit the spread of infection and/or injury
- It serves to protect the injured site from becoming more infected
- Eliminate dead cells/tissue
- Creating the conditions required for healing
Acute inflammation is a beneficial response
T/F?
True :)
What would happen if inflammatory response did not occur?
- No control of infections
- Injured tissues would not be repaired
- Impaired wound healing
What are the 5Rs in Acute Inflammation?
- Recognition of Injury
- Recruitment of Leucocytes
- Removal of injurious agents
- Regulation (closure of inflammatory response)
- Resolution/Repair of affected tissue
Signs of Acute Inflammation
They are local
- Redness (rubor): Due to increased blood flow (hyperaemia) to injured area
- Swelling (tumor): Due to fluid accumulation in tissue due to increased permeability of vessels
- Heat (calor): Due to increased blood flow and metabolic activity
- Pain (dolor): Release of pain mediators increase pressure on nerve ends causing tissue destruction
- Loss of function (laesa): Due to excessive swelling and pain
What are systemic changes caused by acute inflammation?
- Fever will be caused due to pyrogens
- Neutrophilia (neutrophil synthesis) increases.
- Acute phase reactants/proteins are produced in the liver. They cause an increase in fibrinogen (which is sticky) and will cause stacking of the RBC resulting in faster sedimentation rate.
What are pyrogens?
Give some examples
Pyrogens are substances that induce fever
IL-1 and TNF-a are exogenous pyrogens
What stimulates neutrophilia?
This occurs by G-CSF stimulation of the bone marrow. These neutrophils are needed to replace dead neutrophils as well as releasing immature neutrophils into the blood.
Give some examples of Acute phase reactants/Proteins
C-reactive protein Fibrinogen Complement
Serum amyloid A protein (SAP)
What induces production of acute phase reactants/proteins in the liver?
IL-6
IL-1
TNF-a
What is stacking of the RBCs called?
Rouleaux
What is Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (SIRS)?
If the infection is very severe, it leads to a more generalised, widespread effect on the body (sepsis/septic shock).
This is a form of SIRS
What vascular events are caused by acute inflammation?
- Vasodilation of small vessels
- Increased blood flow to the injured area which results in an influx of white blood cells , oxygen and nutrients to that area
- The blood vessel permeability of micro vessels (capillaries) which also increases due to contraction of endothelial cells. Endothelial cell activation occurs increasing adhesion molecules allows cell from vessel to enter tissue
Overall effect: leucocytes and plasma proteins exit vessels and enter inflammation site to deal with infection/damage
What causes the vasodilation of small vessels?
Histamine and serotonin released from injured cells as well as sentinel cells that respond to trauma (e.g. mast cells or macrophages)
What is Transudate?
Fluid leaks due to altered osmotic/hydrostatic pressure
What is Exudate?
Fluid that leaks around the cells of the capillaries caused by inflammation
Inflammatory exudate gets into the tissue or serous cavities
Why does inflammatory exudate leak out of capillaries?
Increased vessel permeability due to contractions of endothelial cells and endothelial cell activation (increased inter-endothelial spaces allow fluid and protein to leak out)
What does inflammatory exudate contain?
Water
Salts
Small plasma proteins (e.g. fibrinogen)
Inflammatory cells
What are the 4 types of inflammatory exudate?
- Serous
- Purulent (fibrinopurulent)
- Fibrinous
- Haemorrhagic
Describe serous exudate
It has few cells and no microbes
The fluid is derived from plasma/secreted by mesothelium cells
In serous cavities (burns, viral infections)
—> skin blisters
Describe purulent exudate
Pus: contains may leucocytes (neutrophils), dead cells, microbes
- pus producing bacteria (pyogenic)
Eg. Staphylococci
Describe fibrinous exudate
Fibrin deposition (derived fribrinogen in plasma)
- Large vascular leaks (fibrinogen exits blood and enters tissue)
Occurs in serous cavities (meninges, pleura, pericardium)
Can lead to scarring if not cleared