LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Upon completing this session students should

be able to:
Define the inflammation, causes, and types
Describe the processes of acute inflammation
and inflammatory exudate
Mention the clinical features of acute
inflammation
List the fate of acute inflammation.
Describe the chronic inflammation, character,
types

Introduction

Inflame to set fire.

Inflammation: defined as the vascular

and cellular response of living
tissue to injury.

Aim of inflammation:
*The inflammatory process serves to
destroy, dilute or wall-off the
injurious agent.
*Repair is the process by which lost or
destroyed cells are replaced by vital
cells.

Nomenclature
The nomenclatures of inflammatory lesion are

usually indicated by the suffix 'itis'.

Thus, inflammation of the appendix is called
appendicitis

and

that

of

meninges

as

meningitis, etc. However, like any rule, it

has its own exceptions examples as lung is

pneumonia .

CAUSES OF INFLAMMATION
Inflammation is caused by injurious agents called
irritants. Irritants are of different types:
(1) Living Irritants: Bacteria and their toxins, viruses,
parasites and fungi.
(2) Non Living Irritants:
Physical irritants: e.g. excess heat, excess cold and
radiations.
Chemical irritants: e.g. acids, alkalis, and plant
poisons, organic and inorganic poisons.
Mechanical irritants: e.g. trauma and mechanical
friction.
(3)Immunological: e.g. allergic inflammation.

Classification of inflammation
Classification of inflammation according to duration:
(1)Acute Inflammation:
Caused by an irritant of short duration of action.
The tissue response is rapid.
Inflammation lasts for days to weeks.
(2)Chronic Inflammation:
Caused by an irritant of prolonged action.
The tissue response is slow.
Inflammation lasts for months to years.
(3)Subacute Inflammation:
Grades between the acute and the chronic types.

DISTRIBUTION of inflammation
Indicates the location of the lesion
within an organ. Used both macro
and microscopically.
FOCAL: Single abnormality or
inflamed area within a tissue
MULTIFOCAL: Several foci are
separated from one another by
relatively normal tissue
LOCALLY
EXTENSIVE:
Involvement of considerable area
within an organ.
DIFFUSE: Involve all the tissue or
organ.

I- ACUTE INFLAMMATION
Acute inflammation is an immediate and early
response to an injurious agent and it is relatively of
short duration.

It is characterized by fluids and cellular

exudation at the site of injury.
NOTE: Clinically, an acute disease is one that
arises suddenly, often within a few hours, and
progresses rather within a matter of days or a
few weeks to recovery or death.

 Effects of acute inflammation:

GENERAL
CHANGES
IN
ACUTE
1-General effects:
INFLAMMATION
a. Leucocytosis:
Increase in the number of
polymorphonuclear leucocytes.

b. Fever (Pyrexia):
Pyrogenic substances (pyrexin) (fever producing)
are released from the bacteria and dead leucocytes.
Pyrogenic substances disturb the function of the
heat regulating center in the hypothalamus causing
fever.
Fever disturbs the vitality of bacteria, but is also
harmful to the tissues of the body.
c. Degeneration and damage of parenchmatous
organs as liver, kidney and, heart by absorbed
toxins

1-Local effects:
CARDINAL SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF
ACUTE INFLAMMATION
(1) Redness: Caused by cappilary vasodilatation and
opening of all the collapsed capillaries.
(2) Hotness: Caused by arteriolar dilatation and
increased blood flow.

(3) Swelling: Caused by the cappilary vasodilatation

and lead to accumulation of the inflammatory fluid
and cellular exudate.
(4) Pain: Caused by: (a) Irritation of the nerve endings
by the chemical mediators, (b) Pressure of the
inflammatory exudate on the sensory nerves.
(5) Loss of function: Due to: (a) Pain. (b) Tissue
damage.

Heat

Redness

Swelling

Pain

Loss Of Function.

(3) Neurofibromatosis
A
hereditary
familial
disease transmitted as a
dominant trait. The disease
is characterized by:
(a) Multiple neurofibromas
which appear as small firm
nodules in the skin along
the
course
of
the
cutaneous nerves.
(b) Cafe au lait skin
pigmentation.
(c)
Pigmented
iris
hamartomas called Lisch
nodules.
Malignant
tumours:
Malignant
Schwannoma
(neurofibrosarcoma).

Multiple neurofibromas

Cafe au lait skin

Plexiform Neurofibroma

Malignant Neurofibroma