Inflammation — Something We All Should Know About
June 15, 2020 at 6:32 p.m.
By Max [email protected]
Inflammation represents an essential survival mechanism that helps the body fight off hostile microbes and repair damaged tissue.
Yet, there is another side of inflammation that can be harmful rather than helpful to human health. There’s evidence that inflammation, promoted in part by such factors as obesity, smoking and a sedentary lifestyle, contributes to a variety of diseases. We should all know more about inflammation, its causes and treatment.
According to Dr. Don Colbert in his book “Reversing Inflammation,” inflammation actually means “fire inside,” because inflamed areas often feel as if they are burning from within.
Inflammation is the redness, swelling, pain and heat that occur in an area of the body as a consequence of infection, injury or a foreign object such as a splinter. For example, if you have strep tonsillitis, your tonsils are infected with a strep bacterium, and they are generally swollen, red and very painful. A sprained ankle is simply inflammation in the ankle, and the ankle is usually red, swollen and painful.
Adaptive immunity is part of the immune response that develops over time and is refined as your body acquires a memory of specific pathogens that it encounters. Certain types of white blood cells, known as T and B lymphocytes, learn to recognize familiar invaders so that the body can mount a more efficient defense the next time that invader comes along. For example, if you’ve had measles, you’re unlikely to fall ill if you’re exposed again to the measles virus because your immune system is now armed and ready to respond.
Innate immunity, also called native or natural immunity, is the protective system you are born with, and it is programmed to kick into action at the first sign of a threat. For example, when a pathogen — a disease causing microbe — crosses one of the body’s barriers, such as skin, mucous membranes or blood vessel linings, pattern recognition receptor molecules (PRRs) typically detect the irregularity and signal for help.
The first responders are a family of white blood cells called phagocytes, which engulf and destroy pathogens by chemically chewing them into pieces. They then display pieces of the offenders on their surface to signal other immune system cells to help continue the attack on the invading pathogens.
The immune response is extremely complex and involves a cascade of reactions from different cells in the body, including a number of key players: B cells or B lymphocytes that can produce antibodies; basophils, a type of white blood cells that bind immunoglobulin E and release histamine; cytokines, a group of proteins that are chemical messengers that affect other cells; dendritic cells that recognize an antigen as an invader; eosinophils, a type of white blood cells that contribute to inflammation, especially in allergies and asthma; Immunoglobulin E, a type of antibody that plays an essential role in allergic reactions; mast cells, specialized cells found in the linings of airways, the eyes and gut that can release histamine and other substances instrumental in an allergic response; macrophages, a type of white blood cells that consume debris in tissues and the blood stream and alerts T cells to the presence of antigens; neutrophils, the most abundant type of white blood cell and important in fighting infections; T cells (T lymphocytes) a subset of white blood cells that play a prominent role in promoting an allergic response; Type 1 helper cells , a type of white blood cell that helps control certain kinds of viral and bacterial infections; and Type 2 helper cells, white blood cells that help B cells produce antibodies to eliminate infectious agents.
Cytokine release is particularly evident in diseases such as covid-19 and influenza. The word cytokine is derived from the Greek words for cell (cyto) and movement or kinos. In some patients the COVID-19 virus as it enters the lungs triggers an immune response attracting immune cells to the region to attack the virus, resulting in localized inflammation. In these patients excessive or uncontrolled levels of cytokines are released which then activate more immune cells, and hyperinflammation.
This so-called “cytokine storm” can seriously harm or even kill the patient. Cytokine storms, when the immune system is in overdrive, might explain why some people have a severe reaction to coronaviruses, while others only experience mild symptoms. For these patients the body’s immune response may be as destructive as the virus that causes the disease.
Max Sherman is a medical writer and pharmacist retired from the medical device industry. He has taught college courses on regulatory and compliance issues at Ivy Tech, Grace College and Butler University. Sherman has an unquenchable thirst for knowledge on all levels. Eclectic Science, the title of his column, touches on famed doctors and scientists, human senses, aging, various diseases, and little-known facts about many species, including their contributions to scientific research. His new book “Science Snippets” is available from Amazon and other book sellers. Email him at [email protected].
Inflammation represents an essential survival mechanism that helps the body fight off hostile microbes and repair damaged tissue.
Yet, there is another side of inflammation that can be harmful rather than helpful to human health. There’s evidence that inflammation, promoted in part by such factors as obesity, smoking and a sedentary lifestyle, contributes to a variety of diseases. We should all know more about inflammation, its causes and treatment.
According to Dr. Don Colbert in his book “Reversing Inflammation,” inflammation actually means “fire inside,” because inflamed areas often feel as if they are burning from within.
Inflammation is the redness, swelling, pain and heat that occur in an area of the body as a consequence of infection, injury or a foreign object such as a splinter. For example, if you have strep tonsillitis, your tonsils are infected with a strep bacterium, and they are generally swollen, red and very painful. A sprained ankle is simply inflammation in the ankle, and the ankle is usually red, swollen and painful.
Adaptive immunity is part of the immune response that develops over time and is refined as your body acquires a memory of specific pathogens that it encounters. Certain types of white blood cells, known as T and B lymphocytes, learn to recognize familiar invaders so that the body can mount a more efficient defense the next time that invader comes along. For example, if you’ve had measles, you’re unlikely to fall ill if you’re exposed again to the measles virus because your immune system is now armed and ready to respond.
Innate immunity, also called native or natural immunity, is the protective system you are born with, and it is programmed to kick into action at the first sign of a threat. For example, when a pathogen — a disease causing microbe — crosses one of the body’s barriers, such as skin, mucous membranes or blood vessel linings, pattern recognition receptor molecules (PRRs) typically detect the irregularity and signal for help.
The first responders are a family of white blood cells called phagocytes, which engulf and destroy pathogens by chemically chewing them into pieces. They then display pieces of the offenders on their surface to signal other immune system cells to help continue the attack on the invading pathogens.
The immune response is extremely complex and involves a cascade of reactions from different cells in the body, including a number of key players: B cells or B lymphocytes that can produce antibodies; basophils, a type of white blood cells that bind immunoglobulin E and release histamine; cytokines, a group of proteins that are chemical messengers that affect other cells; dendritic cells that recognize an antigen as an invader; eosinophils, a type of white blood cells that contribute to inflammation, especially in allergies and asthma; Immunoglobulin E, a type of antibody that plays an essential role in allergic reactions; mast cells, specialized cells found in the linings of airways, the eyes and gut that can release histamine and other substances instrumental in an allergic response; macrophages, a type of white blood cells that consume debris in tissues and the blood stream and alerts T cells to the presence of antigens; neutrophils, the most abundant type of white blood cell and important in fighting infections; T cells (T lymphocytes) a subset of white blood cells that play a prominent role in promoting an allergic response; Type 1 helper cells , a type of white blood cell that helps control certain kinds of viral and bacterial infections; and Type 2 helper cells, white blood cells that help B cells produce antibodies to eliminate infectious agents.
Cytokine release is particularly evident in diseases such as covid-19 and influenza. The word cytokine is derived from the Greek words for cell (cyto) and movement or kinos. In some patients the COVID-19 virus as it enters the lungs triggers an immune response attracting immune cells to the region to attack the virus, resulting in localized inflammation. In these patients excessive or uncontrolled levels of cytokines are released which then activate more immune cells, and hyperinflammation.
This so-called “cytokine storm” can seriously harm or even kill the patient. Cytokine storms, when the immune system is in overdrive, might explain why some people have a severe reaction to coronaviruses, while others only experience mild symptoms. For these patients the body’s immune response may be as destructive as the virus that causes the disease.
Max Sherman is a medical writer and pharmacist retired from the medical device industry. He has taught college courses on regulatory and compliance issues at Ivy Tech, Grace College and Butler University. Sherman has an unquenchable thirst for knowledge on all levels. Eclectic Science, the title of his column, touches on famed doctors and scientists, human senses, aging, various diseases, and little-known facts about many species, including their contributions to scientific research. His new book “Science Snippets” is available from Amazon and other book sellers. Email him at [email protected].
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