Unit 2 Flashcards
What is inflammation?
- Part of the bodies normal defense mechanism
- Purpose: to isolate and eliminate noxious agents that cause tissue injury
- Response is non-specific: no memory associated with inflammation
- May be present in chronic or acute forms
*any word with itist at the end means inflammation
What is the etiology of inflammation? (7 things)
- Direct damage: cuts/sprains
- Chemical injury
- Ischemia (short term lack of oxygen, usually no damage)/infarction (long term lack of oxygen, damage usually present)
- Allergy
- Physical agents: burns
- Foreign bodies: splinter
- Infection
Signs and symptoms of inflammation
- Redness (sign): hyperemia
- Edema (sign): increase vascular permeability
- Heat (symptom): hyperemia
- Pain (symptom): Edema (pressure of fluid on nerves and pro-inflammatory mediators on nerves
- Loss of function (symptom): Iscehmia (loss of cellular function) and Edema (loss of mechanical function)
Systemic effects of inflammation
- General sense of feeling unwell
- Loss of appetite
- Fatigue
- Headache
- Low grade fever
Define Chronic inflammation
- May develop from acute inflammation (ex: TB (chronic infection))
- May have its own etiology (ex: intercellular infections (viral or bacterial)
- May result from chronic irritation to tissue (ex: cigarette smoke)
Chronic inflammation vs acute
Chronic inflammation is associated with
- Less swelling and exudate formation
- More lymphocytes, macrophages and fibroblasts in the site
- Often more tissue destruction
- Often more scarring (more collagen laid down)
- Formation of granuloma (mass of cells protecting an area from infection/inflammation)
Describe Inflammation treatment (RICE)
- Rest
- Ice: promotes vasodilation
- Compress: helps prevent fluid accumulation
- Elevation: helps fluid drain from edematious sites
- Heat application depends on circumstances: may promote vasodilation and mobility which may increase local circulation
- Pharmacological inflammation treatment: aspirin, non-steriodal anti-inflammatory agents (NSAID) (ex: ibuprofen) and steriodal anti-inflammatory agents (ex: gluccoroticoids which may be prednisone)
Describe the factors affecting healingFactors
- Age: cells divide more slowly in older patients
- Nutritional Status: need building blocks for tissue repair
- Haemoglobin Level: need adequate O2 levels for tissue metabolism
- Patent Circulation: blood carries nutrients and O2 to damage tissues
- Wound Cleanliness: presence of bacteria or foreign matter promote inflammation and prevent tissues from knitting together
- Complications: ex radiation or chemotherapy drugs prevent cell division
Describe scar tissue complications (loss of function)
Results from loss of functional cells (ex: hair follicles, secretory gland cells, sensory receptors or results from loss of specialized tissue architecture required for function (ex: lobule structure of liver, nephron structure of kidney)
Describe scar tissue complications (structural)
- Contractures: shrinkage of non elastic collagen (ex: joint insolubility)
- Obstruction: scar tissue narrows tubular tissues (stenosis)
- Adhesions: Scar tissue may cause 2 adjacent tissues to stick to one another in abnormal manner, may distort tissue or may prevent tissue from gliding smoothly past one another
Describe scar tissue complications (ulceration)
-Impaired blood flow in regions adjacent to scar tissue, may result in local tissue necrosis
Describe scar tissue complications (keloid scars)
Hypertrophic scar tissue:
- Much more scar needed to tissue repair
- Dense mass of scar tissue that extends into surround dermal tissue
- Most common in skin with higher melanin deposition
- Commonly observed in shoulder region, chest and earlobes
- Harmless, but may have aesthetic implications
