INFLAMMATION

Inflammation is the immune response to penetrating of foreign body into the

organism.
There are five signs of inflammation: tumor (swelling);
rubor (redness);
calor (heat);
dolor (pain);
functio laesa (dysfunction).

Inflammation usually has three stages.

Alteration, exudation, proliferation.
Alteration stage is characterized by damage of tissues and release of histamine.
Exudation stage is characterized by formation of exudate (serous, purulent or
streaked with blood).
Proliferation stage is characterized by multiplication of cells and they
substitute damaged tissue.

According to the duration, the inflammation is divided into acute, subacute and
chronic one.
Acute inflammation has a short duration, ranging from a few hours to a few
weeks. Usually, it is manifested with full-blown symptoms and vascular exudative
changes take place.
Sub-acute inflammation lasts from 2 weeks to 6 months
Chronic inflammation lasts more than 6 moths. The patient is usually
asymptomatic or with mild symptoms. Chronic inflammation starts as a complication
of acute stage. Chronic inflammation is characterized by periods of exacerbation and
remission.

Inflammation is classified into exudative, necrotic (alterative) and productive

(granulomatous).
Exudative inflammation is classified according to the type of exudate.
There are catarrhal, serous inflammation, fibrinous, purulent inflammation and
hemorrhagic one.
Catarrhal inflammation is exudative inflammation occurring on the mucous
membranes of the respiratory and gastrointestinal tracts and producing a watery
exudate of serum and mucus.
Serous inflammation is accumulation of fluid relatively rich in protein on body
surfaces, especially serous surface, represents serous inflammation.
Fibrinous inflammation is exudative inflammation with exudation of fibrinogen
containing serum that polymerizes to fibrin outside the blood vessels. When fibrin
forms a distinct layer covering an ulcer, it is referred to as a fibrinous
pseudomembrane.
Purulent inflammation is an inflammation with exudate consisting primarily of
died neutrophils and cellular debris. The predominant feature of the exudate is the
formation of pus, a creamy liquid.
Abscess: a circumscribed collection of pus.
 Phlegmon: Diffuse suppurative inflammation that spreads primarily
in loose fibrous connective tissue without sharp demarcation.
Empyema: accumulation of pus in a cavity.
Fistula: opening through the skin which connects the focus of
inflammation with the environment.
Furuncle: the purulent inflammation of the hair follicles and the
sebaceous glands of the skin.
Carbuncle: are clusters of furuncles connected subcutaneously.
Hemorrhagic inflammation is characterized by large numbers of erythrocytes in
the exudate.
Necrotic (alterative inflammation) is characterized largely by necrosis and
degeneration or tissue loss (example formation of caverns).
Granulomatous inflammation is a distinct type of chronic inflammation. It is
marked by the formation of granulomas, which are small collections of modified
macrophages called epithelioid cells and are usually surrounded by lymphocytes.
Granulomas are seen in a wide variety of diseases, both infectious and non-
infectious. Examples of infections characterized by granulomas include tuberculosis,
paratuberculosis, brucellosis.
Examples of non-infectious agents causing granulomas formation are
Cholesterine crystals, uric acid crystals, splinters of wood or iron, operation residues.