Types of Inflammation

Inflammation is divided in to acute and chronic inflammation according to the duration and the inflammation cell types.
a) Acute Inflammation: Acute inflammation is of relatively short duration, lasting for minutes, several hours, or a few days, and its main characteristics are the exudation of fluid and plasma proteins and the emigration of leukocytes, predominantly neutrophils. Acite inflammation is the immediate and early response to tissue damage and destruction.

Major events in acute inflammation-
A. Hyperemia
B. Exudation
C. Cellular exudation
D. Emigration of leukocytes

b) Chronic Inflammatory Response
Change may occur in blood picture as a result of a chronic inflammatory I reaction. There will be anemia if there is blood loss (ulcerative state), lymphocytes (due to the immune stimulus), leucopenia (because of utilization of leukocytes) or more usually, leukocytes (because of stimuli for leukocyte production) with Europhilia and eosinophilia. The rise globulin/albumin ratio (due to stimuli for globulin production plus loss of albumin in the inflammatory exudates) result in an increase in erythrocyte sedimentation rate.

Blood cells involved in Inflammation

Vascular endothelial cells, mast cells, and tissue macrophages platelets and leukocytes involved in inflammation. The leukocytes are actively motile cells and are of two classes:
a. Polymorphoneuclar cells (cells with many lobed. nuclei) which are subdivided into Europhiles, according to the staining properties of the granules in their cytoplasm. There are also referred to as Pgranulocytes

Causes of Inflammation

1. Mechanical injury: mechanical trauma.
2. Bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasites.
3. Ischemia: cause by reducing cellular oxygen supplies.
4. Chemical injury: glucose or salt in hypertonic or hypotonic concentration.
5. Extremes of temperature: e.g. burns or deep cold.
6. Radiation: e.g. UV light.

Mechanisms of Inflammation

A human or animal must defend itself against multitude of different pathogens including viruses, bacteria, fungi, and protozoan and metazoan parasites as well as tumors and a number of various harmful agents which I are capable to derange its homeostasis. For this, a plenty of effectors mechanisms capable of defending the body against such antigens and I agents have developed and these can be mediated by soluble molecules or by cells. If infections occur as a consequence of the tissue damage, the I innate and, later, the adaptive immune systems are triggered to destroy the infectious agent.