Inflammation is a response of the body when there is damage done to tissue. There are many things that can cause inflammation. Some of those things include pathogens, abrasions, chemical irritations, disturbances to cells and also extreme temperatures. It is fairly easy to identify inflammation. Some of the obvious clues are redness, swelling, pain and heat. When tissues are damaged and inflammation occurs, some functions can be lost in that area. This depends on the location and also the extent of the injury. Inflammation is a way to dispose of microbes, toxins and foreign materials at the injured area. This helps prevent the spread to other tissues. It also helps to prepare the site of injury for tissue repair and restore homeostasis in the tissue.
The inflammatory response consists of three different stages. The first stages is vasodilation and increased permeability of blood vessels. The second stages is the movement of phagocytes from the blood to the interstitial fluid. The final stage is the tissue repair.
The events of inflammation can be summarized in about seven steps. * Microbes, or bacteria, enter the area of injury. * Vasodilation of the microcirculation. This results in an increased blood flow. * An increase in vascular permeability to protein. * Filtration of fluid into the tissue. This is what causes the swelling. * Exit of neutrophils and later monocytes, from the blood vessels to the tissues. * Phagocytosis and destruction of the microbes. * Tissue repair.
When the small blood vessels constrict, they quickly dilate. When this dilation occurs, it slows the blood flow this what causes the redness and heat at the injury site. White blood cells move through the blood vessels and move into the injured area. While they are there...they have to job to clean up the micro-organisms and the dead tissue. When protein and water are moved from the blood vessels is when the swelling occurs. With water and protein comes other substances that start the clotting process. One of these substances is fibrin. Fibrin is what is responsible for deaths that can occur in diphtheria.
Inflammation is a necessary process. When you have a wound, it has to go through the inflammation process before the wound healing process an start. When tissue is injured, chemical reactions are started which in turn started the inflammatory process.
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I got an injury to my pinky finger. When the swelling occured my mind went straight back to the inflammation process and how this the start to non specific response, I have all the signs: sweeling,pain,redness, and heat. I have never spent so much time looking at a very small cut before in life. Things I have learned from this class are now contributing to the awareness of how our bodies work.
ReplyDeleteBetty
Melinda,
ReplyDeleteI have to laugh, because I scraped the top of my hand. It got very red around it, it was painful, it raised (swelling), and there was some heat to it. And as my cut was going through the redness, swelling, pain, heat I was thinking of what I've learned in A&P and the way the inflammation works.