As we have discussed on the previous page, inflammation that occurs immediately after an injury is helpful, as it protects us against infection and kick-starts the healing process. This is called acute inflammation. However, if cells are continually being damaged or are under stress and release “help me” chemicals over and over again, the resulting constant inflammatory response is not helpful. This is called chronic inflammation and is a characteristic of many conditions associated with aging.
Chronic inflammation consists of continuous attempts at construction, healing, clean-up and demolition – all occuring at the same time. This eventually results in extensive scar formation, and tissues which no longer function properly. As the nerve endings are continually being aggravated by the inflammatory chemicals, chronic inflammation can be associated with chronic pain.
Chronic Inflammatory Conditions
There are many conditions which cause ongoing stress or damage to cells and are therefore triggers of chronic inflammation. These conditions are often closely linked to one another. In some cases, having one chronic inflammatory condition puts us at higher risk of developing another. Some of the most common are mentioned below:
Obesity
When we are over-weight the fat storing cells in our body become continually overwhelmed and overstretched as they attempt to store and use large amounts of excess fat. These cells become stressed and damaged,and some may even die. They release “help me” chemicals which cause a chronic inflammatory response from the body. This results in collateral damage and further death of fat-storing cells, which are replaced with non-functional scar cells, putting more stress on the remaining fat-storing cells to store even more fat. A chronic inflammatory cycle is formed.
Smoking
When we smoke the toxic chemicals from cigarettes enters our lungs, causing stress, damage and death of lung tissue cells. Lung cells release “help me” chemicals which cause a chronic inflammatory response from the body. This results in collateral damage, and the death of many neighbouring lung cells which are replaced with non-functional scar cells, which are less elastic and do not absorb oxygen. The remaining lung cells are under more stress to provide you with the same amount of oxygen you need to survive, with less cells to do the job. A chronic inflammatory cycle is formed.
Mental Stress
When we are stressed or anxious our brain releases chemicals like adrenalin and nor-adrenalin. This can be a helpful response to a sudden, temporary stress – just before an exam, for example. Unfortunately, our stressors often last much longer than an exam. The chemicals we produce tend to stay in our bodies if we do not burn them off doing physical activity. Over time, these chemicals cause stress and damage to the cells in our blood vessel walls, and in some of the cells in our brain. These cells then send out “help me” chemicals and a chronic inflammatory response develops.
Diabetes
People with diabetes have difficulty controlling the sugar levels in the bloodstream. High levels of sugar in the blood results in damage and stress to the cells that form the walls of our blood vessels. They release “help me” chemicals, causing a chronic inflammatory response from the body. This results in collateral damage to the cells of the vessel walls, which are then replaced with non-functional scar cells, making the vessel wall narrower, less elastic and rougher. The remaining vessel wall cells become more sensitive and more likely to be stressed and damaged. A chronic inflammatory cycle is formed.
Osteoarthritis
When we have osteoarthritis in our joints, the bone and cartilage cells have become damaged due to injuries and/or normal age-related changes. The joint becomes less good at withstanding the load of normal daily tasks and sports. As we keep using our joints, these cells become constantly stressed and damaged, and release “help me” chemicals, causing a chronic inflammatory response from the body. This results in collateral damage, and the death of more cartilage and bone cells, which are then replaced with non-functional scar cells, making the cartilage less cushioning for the joint and the bone rougher and more porous. In turn this causes even more stress to the remaining cartilage and bone. A chronic inflammatory cycle is formed.