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The meaning of INFLAMMATION is a local response to cellular injury that is marked by capillary dilatation, leukocytic infiltration, redness, heat, and pain and that serves as a mechanism initiating the elimination of noxious agents and of damaged tissue.
INFLAMED definition: 1. (of a part of the body) red, painful, and swollen, especially because of infection: 2. (of a…. Learn more.
- Overview
- Causes
- Signs
- Vascular changes
•Redness is caused by the dilation of small blood vessels in the area of injury.
•Heat results from increased blood flow through the area and is experienced only in peripheral parts of the body such as the skin. Fever is brought about by chemical mediators of inflammation and contributes to the rise in temperature at the injury.
•Swelling, called edema, is caused primarily by the accumulation of fluid outside the blood vessels.
•The pain associated with inflammation results in part from the distortion of tissues caused by edema, and it also is induced by certain chemical mediators of inflammation, such as bradykinin, serotonin, and the prostaglandins.
The factors that can stimulate inflammation include microorganisms, physical agents, chemicals, inappropriate immunological responses, and tissue death. Infectious agents such as viruses and bacteria are some of the most common stimuli of inflammation. Viruses give rise to inflammation by entering and destroying cells of the body; bacteria release ...
The four cardinal signs of inflammation—redness (Latin rubor), heat (calor), swelling (tumor), and pain (dolor)—were described in the 1st century ad by the Roman medical writer Aulus Cornelius Celsus. Redness is caused by the dilation of small blood vessels in the area of injury. Heat results from increased blood flow through the area and is experienced only in peripheral parts of the body such as the skin. Fever is brought about by chemical mediators of inflammation and contributes to the rise in temperature at the injury. Swelling, called edema, is caused primarily by the accumulation of fluid outside the blood vessels. The pain associated with inflammation results in part from the distortion of tissues caused by edema, and it also is induced by certain chemical mediators of inflammation, such as bradykinin, serotonin, and the prostaglandins.
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A fifth consequence of inflammation is the loss of function of the inflamed area, a feature noted by German pathologist Rudolf Virchow in the 19th century. Loss of function may result from pain that inhibits mobility or from severe swelling that prevents movement in the area.
When tissue is first injured, the small blood vessels in the damaged area constrict momentarily, a process called vasoconstriction. Following this transient event, which is believed to be of little importance to the inflammatory response, the blood vessels dilate (vasodilation), increasing blood flow into the area. Vasodilation may last from 15 minutes to several hours.
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Next, the walls of the blood vessels, which normally allow only water and salts to pass through easily, become more permeable. Protein-rich fluid, called exudate, is now able to exit into the tissues. Substances in the exudate include clotting factors, which help prevent the spread of infectious agents throughout the body. Other proteins include antibodies that help destroy invading microorganisms.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Apr 9, 2024 · Inflammation, also known as the inflammatory response, is a biological reaction initiated by the immune system, particularly in vascular tissues, as a defense mechanism against harmful stimuli. These stimuli can range from microorganisms to foreign substances that pose a threat to the body.
inflammation. [in″flah-ma´shun] a localized protective response elicited by injury or destruction of tissues, which serves to destroy, dilute, or wall off both the injurious agent and the injured tissue. adj., adj inflam´matory.
the reaction of living tissue to injury or infection, characterized by heat, redness, swelling, and pain. the act of inflaming or the state of being inflamed.
INFLAMMATION definition: 1. a red, painful, and often swollen area in or on a part of your body: 2. a red, painful, and…. Learn more.
