Session 7:

Introduction to Inflammation
KASPER MK

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 Learning tasks
At the end of this session, students are expected to be
able to:
• Define inflammation.
• Explain the role of inflammation.
• Explain basic features of inflammation.
• Identify of steps of inflammatory response.
• Identify causes of inflammation.

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 Definition
• The term is derived from the Latin "inflammare"
meaning to burn.
• Inflammation is an ability of vascularised living
tissue to respond to any noxious agent or injury.
• It is a protective response intended to eliminate the
initial cause of cell injury as well as the necrotic
cells and tissues resulting from the original insult.
• It is a complex reaction which involves many other
systemic changes despite of what is observed
locally.
 Roles of Inflammation
• Inflammation is fundamentally destined to localize
and eliminate the causative agent and to limit tissue
injury.
• The survival of all organisms requires that they
eliminate foreign invaders, such as infectious
agents, and damaged tissues.
• These functions are mediated by a complex host
response called inflammation.
 Roles of Inflammation cont…
• Inflammation accomplishes its protective mission
by first diluting, destroying, or otherwise
neutralizing harmful agents (e.g., microbes,
toxins).
• It then sets into motion the events that eventually
heal and repair the sites of injury.
 Roles of Inflammation cont…
• Without inflammation:
– Infections would go unchecked.
– Wounds would never heal.
– Injured tissues would remain permanent festering (e.g in
suppurative- pus forming sores).
• In the context of infections, inflammation is one
component of a protective response that refer to as
innate immunity.
 Activity: Brainstorming
• How can inflammation be harmful to normal tissue?

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Inflammation can be harmful
• The inflammatory reactions and the subsequent
repair process can themselves cause considerable
harm.
• The components of the inflammatory reaction that
destroy and eliminate microbes and dead tissues
are also capable of injuring normal tissues.
Inflammation can be harmful cont…
• The damage may even become the dominant
feature if the inflammatory reaction is:
– Very strong (e.g., when the infection is severe)
– Prolonged (e.g., when the eliciting agent resists
eradication)
– Inappropriate (e.g., when it is directed against self-
antigens in autoimmune diseases or against usually
harmless environmental antigens (e.g., in allergic
disorders).
 Basic features of Inflammation
• Inflammation can be acute or chronic.
• Inflammation is induced by chemical mediators
that are produced by host cells in response to
injurious stimuli.
• The external manifestations of inflammation, often
called its cardinal signs of inflammation.
 Basic features of Inflammation cont…
• Inflammation is normally controlled and self-
limited.
• Inflammation is a defensive host response to
foreign invaders and necrotic tissue, but it is itself
capable of causing tissue damage.
 Steps of Inflammatory response
1. Recognition of the injurious agent.
2. Recruitment of leukocytes.
3. Removal of the agent.
4. Regulation (control) of the inflammatory response.
5. Resolution (repair).
 Causes of Inflammation
1. Physical agents - mechanical injuries (trauma),
alteration in temperatures and pressure, radiation
injuries.
2. Chemical agents - including the ever increasing
lists of drugs and toxins (organic and inorganic
poisons)
3. Biologic agents (infectious agents) - bacteria,
viruses, fungi, parasites and their toxins.
 Causes of Inflammation cont…
4. Immunologic disorders - hypersensitivity
reactions, autoimmunity, immunodeficiency states.
5. Genetic/metabolic disorders - examples gout,
diabetes mellitus.
 Types of Inflammation
• Depending on the different capacity of the host and
duration of response and histologic appearances,
inflammation can be classified into:
1. Acute inflammation.
2. Chronic inflammation.
 Nomenclature
• The presence of inflammation is indicated by addition
of suffix 'itis' to the name of organ involved.
• If it is Acute add the word acute.
– Acute bronchitis.
– Acute laryngitis.
• If it is chronic add the word chronic.
– Chronic tonsillitis
– Chronic cervicitis.

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 Nomenclature cont…
• However, like any rule, it has its own exceptions
examples pneumonia, typhoid fever.
– Those diseases do not end with suffix 'itis' but they are
inflammatory.
 Key points
• It is a defensive local response of the living
mammalian tissues to injury due to an agent
• The goal of the inflammatory reaction is to bring
leukocytes and plasma proteins to the site of injury.
• Cardinal signs of inflammation are commonly seen in
Acute inflammation.
• Acute and chronic inflammation can coexist.
• Inflammation can also cause tissue damage when an
inflammatory reaction is very strong, prolonged or
inappropriate.
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 Review questions
1. Why is inflammatory process important?
2. Explain how inflammation achieves its protective
response.
3. List steps involved in inflammatory response.
4. What are the causes of inflammation?
5. List five examples of inflammatory condition not
end with suffix 'itis'.

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 References
• Bezabeh M.; Tesfaye A.; Ergicho B. et al (2004):
General pathology lecture notes for Health Sciences
students. Ethiopia Public Health Training Initiative.
Pg. 24.
• Kumar V.; Abbas A. K.; Aster J. C.;(2013): Robbins
and Contran Pathologic Basis of Disease (9th Ed.)
Elsevier Saunders, China. Pg. 30 - 31.
• Mohan H.;(2010): Text book of Pathology (6th Ed.)
Jaypee Brothers Medical Publishers, India . Pg. 130.

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