The Inflammatory Response Flashcards
What are the 4 cardinal responses to inflammation?
Heat, swelling, pain and redness
Give 5 examples of external causes of tissue damage
Trauma, extremes of temperature, infection, foreign objects, radiation damage, poisons.
Give 5 examples of internal causes of tissue damage
Autoimmune diseases, ischaemia (reduced blood supply) to tissues, hypersensitivity to allergens, tumours due to cell overpopulation, exposure of tissues to digestive enzymes causing damage.
What are the two important responses making up the inflammatory response?
The vascular response and the cellular response
What happens during the vascular response to inflammation?
Blood vessels vasodilate, vascular permeability increases and there is an increased outflow of fluid exudate.
What happens during the cellular response to inflammation?
Immune cells from the body are recruited to the source of the inflammation.
What do bradykinins and prostaglandins cause?
Pain
Proinflammatory cytokines causes systemic symptoms such as (give two)
Fever and malase
What is the pathophysiology behind odeama?
Odeama is the accumilation of exudate from the blood vessels within the tissues
What is the role of exudate in the inflammatory response?
It helps to dilute toxins and reduce blood loss
Name three immune cells involved in the cellular response to inflammation
Mast cells, macrophages and neutrophils
Name the primary characteristic of acute inflammation
The attraction of neutrophils to the inflamed area. The key role of neutrophils is phagocytosis.
Describe the three key steps in phagocytosis
- The neutrophil surrounds the microorganism and brings it into the cell in a vesicle called a phagosome
- The phagosome fuses with an organelle called a lysosome
- The lysosome contains digestive enzymes which break down and destroy the microorganism
What happens to a neutrophil following phagocytosis?
They die and collectively create pus.
What three things accumulate to create pus?
Dead neutrophils, cell debris and bacteria
What is the role of mast cells in the inflammatory response?
They release histamine which causes casodilation and increases vascular permeability.
What stimulates mast cells to release histamine
When the body is vulnerable to allergens in the external environment
Name the three blood tests undertaken to test for inflammation
Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR)
C-reactive protein (CRP)
Plasma viscosity
What are the possible outcomes of acute inflammation.
Generally, the immune response will clear the source of damage relatively quickly resulting in minimal tissue damage and scarring.
Name the differences between acute and chronic inflammation with relation to: -duration -onset -main cells involved outcomes -role -signs and symptoms -examples
Acute:
-duration- minutes/hours/days
-onset- fast onset (the initial immune response)
-main cells involved- neutrophils, macrophages and mast cells
outcomes- generally no damage, minimal scarring
-role- protective
-signs and symptoms- prominent and local
-examples- appendicitis, allergies, sepsis, stings
Chronic:
-duration- weeks/years
-onset- significantly slower onset
-main cells involved- macrophages and lymphocytes
outcomes- damaged and scarred tissues
-role- damaging
-signs and symptoms- less prominent signs and symptoms due to deep tissue damage
-examples- crohns disease, asthma.
Name 4 conditions where chronic inflammation will arise:
Persistant infection, autoimmune conditions, allergic diseases (such as asthma) and prolonged exposure to toxins
The first immune cell that will encounter an invading microorganism is likely to be
A macrophage
The main cells involved in chronic inflammation are:
Macrophages and lymphocytes
Name four features making up the bodies innate biological barrier to infection:
Mucous membrane forms a barrier
Cilia remove pathogens from the body
Mucous traps pathogens
Stomach acid destroys pathogens due to its low pH
