Inflammation demystified

Know what causes inflammation and how it affects the body

- FE FEATURES

SOCIAL MEDIA IS full of so-called experts advising lifestyle changes and diet to curb inflammation, which is being blamed for just about every malaise.

But what exactly is inflammation? Dr Jyotsna Oak, consultant, internal medicine & rheumatology, Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital, Mumbai, says: "Most people only think about inflammation when something visibly goes wrong, a swollen finger, a tender joint, a wound that turns red around the edges. But the process starts long before any of that becomes visible, and it starts because the body is trying to help. When the immune system detects a problem, whether that is a cut, a pathogen, or damaged cells, it sends chemical messengers that pull blood and immune cells toward the affected area. That activity produces the warmth, redness, swelling, and pain people associate with inflammation. Uncomfortable as those signs are, they exist for a reason. They are how the body concentrates its repair resources where they are needed most.

Short-term inflammation

Short-term inflammation that resolves after healing is normal and necessary. The version that becomes a health concern is chronic inflammation, where the immune system stays switched on well past any actual threat, and over time starts working against the body's own tissues.

What causes inflammation, and is it age related?