Few medical terms are as commonly used or misunderstood. Breathe turns to the experts to find out more about this biological response

If you’re health-conscious, you might be familiar with references to inflammation, but are you clear on what it means? Perhaps you’ve read advice about lowering inflammatory lifestyle habits or your doctor has talked to you about it. Maybe you’ve heard that too much inflammation is a bad thing and linked to autoimmune disorders, stroke, cancer and depression. Or you might be aware that, in the case of injuries or infections, inflammation is the body’s natural response and aids the healing process.

It’s a nuanced area, and when it comes to understanding chronic inflammatory and autoimmune conditions, research is ongoing. So, what is inflammation and when does it become a problem? Read on to find out.

COMMON QUESTIONS ANSWERED

1 What is inflammation?

Put simply, inflammation is the body’s way of defending itself against illness, injury, toxins or germs. It promotes healing by releasing inflammatory cells, along with proteins called cytokines, which stimulate more inflammatory cells and increased blood flow carrying white blood cells to an area – such as a cut on your knee or the back of your sore throat – which can make it look red or swollen. Inflammation sometimes causes a rise in body temperature, too.

Dr Jason Liebowitz, from New York, is assistant professor of medicine in the rheumatology division at Columbia University’s Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons in the US. He explains: ‘Inflammation can be the body’s natural helpful response. It develops the scab at the site of a wound or the fever that makes it harder for a pathogen to survive in the body.’ This type of inflammation is sometimes called acute inflammation and is sudden and temporary. Symptoms can include red or flushed skin, pain or tenderness, swelling or heat.