What are the Symptoms of Chronic Inflammation?
INTRODUCTION
Inflammation is a normal part of life, but prolonged or excessive inflammation can lead to chronic illness and disease. Inflammation is the body’s way of protecting itself from harmful substances, such as bacteria and viruses. It occurs when immune cells are activated and release chemicals called cytokines in response to an injury, infection or any other stressor. Cytokines trigger changes that allow for healing by increasing blood flow and stimulating more immune cells to enter damaged tissue. Prolonged inflammation can cause damage on its own or create an environment where other diseases take hold. The most common symptoms associated with chronic inflammation include joint pain (such as arthritis), skin rashes (like eczema) and gastrointestinal problems like ulcers and diarrhea.[1] In some cases, chronic inflammation may even lead to cancer because certain inflammatory cytokines promote tumor growth.
What is the cause of chronic inflammation.
The main cause of chronic inflammation is the immune system overreacting to a foreign invader. The immune system can be thought of as your body’s defense against foreign invaders. It contains two parts:
• The innate immune system, which protects you from infection by recognizing pathogens and
triggering an immediate response (like inflammation)
• The adaptive or acquired immune system, which recognizes specific pathogens and creates
antibodies that target them
Chronic inflammation can lead to chronic illness.
Chronic inflammation is a problem that can actually lead to chronic illness. Chronic inflammation can be caused by many things, including poor diet, stress and lack of sleep. If you have chronic inflammation then you need to address this issue as soon as possible because it will only get worse over time.
Joint pain, including arthritis
Arthritis is the most common type of joint disease. Joints are the places where two or more bones meet. The pain, stiffness and swelling associated with arthritis can make it hard to move around and do everyday tasks.
The most common types of arthritis include:
• Osteoarthritis: This affects joints such as knees and hips but can also affect other joints such as those in your hands and feet. Osteoarthritis often develops with age; however, it can also be triggered by injury to a joint (such as after an accident).
• Rheumatoid arthritis: This affects a different set of joints than osteoarthritis does, including those in your wrists, fingers and toes (as well as other areas). Rheumatoid often affects women aged 20 to 50 years old more than men; however it can also affect younger children and older adults
Skin rashes, like eczema
When you have chronic inflammation, your immune system overreacts to irritants and causes an inflammatory response. This can cause rashes, including eczema, to form on your skin. Eczema is a common skin condition that often occurs in infants and young children but can persist into adulthood. It is not contagious; however, it can be caused by allergies or stress as well as other factors such as smoking or excessive heat exposure.
Eczema may appear in small patches of redness with dryness or oozing lesions that become crusty and scaly if left untreated . The severity of eczema varies from person to person; however treatment options are available for those who experience extreme discomfort due to their condition.. Medications like corticosteroids applied topically may reduce inflammation while oral medications like cyclosporine (Neoral) work by suppressing the immune system’s activity dampening down this reaction so that symptoms subside somewhat reducing itching which makes them helpful when managing atopic dermatitis (eczema).
Stomach ulcers, gastroenteritis and other gastrointestinal issues
Stomach ulcers, gastroenteritis and other gastrointestinal issues are common symptoms of chronic inflammation. If you have any stomach or gut problems that don’t seem to be going away on their own, see a doctor.
Stomach ulcers are small open sores or breaks in the lining of your stomach or intestine that can cause pain and bleeding. Gastroenteritis is an inflammation of the digestive tract (your esophagus, stomach, small intestine and large intestine) caused by an infection from bacteria like E. coli or salmonella. Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a condition where chronic intestinal inflammation causes diarrhea and abdominal pain along with other symptoms such as weight loss and fatigue.
Liver disease, gallstones or inflammatory bowel disease
• Liver disease, gallstones or inflammatory bowel disease.
• Causes of liver disease, gallstones or inflammatory bowel disease.
• Symptoms of liver disease, gallstones or inflammatory bowel disease.
• Treatments for liver disease, gallstones or inflammatory bowel disease.
Conclusion
Chronic inflammation is a serious health issue that can lead to chronic illness. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, it’s important that you talk with your doctor about what they mean and how they can be treated. There is no single cure for chronic inflammation as there are many different causes but there are also many ways to manage it so that you can live well despite having this condition.
