What Is Inflammation?
“Swelling is a part of inflammation, but what we perceive as swelling usually involves fluid buildup. You can have inflammation without obvious swelling, such as with early inflammatory arthritis or a nerve injury,” says Steven P. Cohen, MD, a professor of anesthesiology and the vice chair of Research and Pain Medicine at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, who has researched inflammation’s role in chronic pain and rheumatological disorders.
There are two broad categories of inflammation: acute and chronic.
What Is Acute Inflammation?
This reaction requires coordinated engagement of your body’s inflammatory responses, says Akiko Iwasaki, PhD, a professor of immunobiology at the Yale University School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut. When you get an infection, for example, inflammation helps clear the pathogen and initiate immune responses, she explains. This helps the body remember the pathogen if you encounter it again, so you build up immunity.
What Is Chronic Inflammation?
“Chronic inflammation no longer serves a useful function or as a warning sign in most cases, and is associated with chronic pain, heart disease, obesity, stroke, and even psychiatric conditions such as depression and anxiety,” says Dr. Cohen.