Inflammation is a complex defense reaction of the body to deal with deleterious, foreign agents and trauma. It is characterized by various vascular and tissue changes, such as swelling, redness, pain, and heat: this is its macroscopic picture. Inflammation is one of several processes underlying many diseases, with different clinical symptoms. Function: the biological function of inflammation is to forestall the spread of pathogenic agents throughout the body; sometimes, the inflammatory process helps to destroy them. In this regard, phagocytosis, which is the destruction of an agent by engulfing, is an inseparable part of the inflammatory process.
Inflammation comprises a vascular reaction, alteration, and proliferation. The vascular reaction involves a transient vascular spasm in the inflammatory focus. This is followed by dilation of the arterioles and capillaries, which undergo an intensified filling of blood (arterial hyperemia). The external signs are redness, elevated temperature in the focus, and pulsation. The vascular changes are due to the accumulation in the inflammatory focus of substances that affect the tone of the vascular wall, such as histamine (vasodepressor), acetylcholine (neurotransmitter), and adenine nucleotides. The next phase is marked by the dilation of the venous network and slowing of the blood flow.
Causes
The causes of inflammation can be either external (exogenous) or internal (endogenous). Exogenous causes include bacterial and parasitic invasion of any given tissue, radioactive and chemical contamination as well as mechanical injury (trauma). The endogenous causes, on the other hand, comprises metabolic imbalances due to normal hormone levels alteration, with excessive adrenaline, insulin, and glucose accumulation in the bloodstream. This happens when the individual is constantly under stress and when endocrine glands, such as the pancreas, are not functioning properly.
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