What is inflammation?

Yep, inflammation happens in everyone, whether you’re aware of it or not. Your immune system creates inflammation to protect the body from infection, injury, or disease. There are many things you wouldn’t be able to heal from without inflammation.

Sometimes with autoimmune diseases, like certain types of arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease, your immune system attacks healthy cells.

Inflammation is classified into two main types:

Acute inflammation usually occurs for a short (yet often severe) duration. It often resolves in two weeks or less. Symptoms appear quickly. This type restores your body to its state before injury or illness.

Chronic inflammation is a slower and generally less severe form of inflammation. It typically lasts longer than six weeks. It can occur even when there’s no injury, and it doesn’t always end when the illness or injury is healed. Chronic inflammation has been linked to autoimmune disorders and even prolonged stress.

Symptoms of inflammation

Heat

Pain

Redness

Loss of function

Chronic inflammation

The specific symptoms you have depend on where in your body the inflammation is and what’s causing it.

Long-term inflammation can lead to a number of symptoms and affect your body in many ways. Common symptoms of chronic inflammation can include:

body pain

constant fatigue and insomnia

depression, anxiety, and other mood disorders

gastrointestinal issues, like constipation, diarrhea, and acid reflux

weight gain

frequent infections

Symptoms of common inflammatory conditions

Symptoms can also vary depending on the condition that has an inflammatory component.

For example, in some autoimmune conditions, your immune system affects your skin, leading to rashes. In other types, it attacks specific glands, which affect hormone levels in the body In rheumatoid arthritis, your immune system attacks your joints. You may experience:

joint pain, swelling, stiffness, or loss of joint function

fatigue

numbness and tingling

limited range of motion

In inflammatory bowel disease, inflammation occurs in the digestive tract. Some common symptoms include:

diarrhea

stomach pain, cramping, or bloating

weight loss and anemia

bleeding ulcers

In multiple sclerosis, your body attacks the myelin sheath, which is the protective covering of nerve cells. You may experience:

numbness and tingling of the arms, legs, or one side of the face

balance problems

double vision, blurry vision, or partial vision loss

fatigue

cognitive problems, like brain fog

Causes of inflammation

Many factors can lead to inflammation, such as:

chronic and acute conditions

certain medications

exposure to irritants or foreign materials your body can’t easily eliminate

Recurrent episodes of acute inflammation can also lead to a chronic inflammatory response.

There are also certain types of foods that can cause or worsen inflammation in people with autoimmune disorders.

These foods include:

sugar

refined carbohydrates

alcohol

processed meats

trans fats

How is inflammation diagnosed?

There’s no single test that can diagnose inflammation or conditions that cause it. Instead, based on your symptoms, your doctor may give you any of the tests below to make a diagnosis.

Blood tests

There are a few so-called markers that help diagnose inflammation in the body. However, these markers are nonspecific, meaning that abnormal levels can show that something is wrong, but not what is wrong.

Serum protein electrophoresis (SPE)

SPE is considered the best way to confirm chronic inflammation. It measures certain proteins in the liquid part of the blood to identify any issues. Too much or too little of these proteins can point to inflammation and markers for other conditions.

C-reactive protein (CRP)

There are also certain types of foods that can cause or worsen inflammation in people with autoimmune disorders.

While this test is very sensitive for inflammation, it doesn’t help differentiate between acute and chronic inflammation, since CRP will be elevated during both. High levels combined with certain symptoms can help your doctor make a diagnosis.

Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR)

The ESR test is sometimes called a sedimentation rate test, a test indirectly measures inflammation by measuring the rate at which red blood cells sink in a tube of blood. The quicker they sink, the more likely you’re experiencing inflammation.

The ESR test is rarely performed alone, as it doesn’t help pinpoint specific causes of inflammation. Instead, it can help your doctor identify that inflammation is occurring. It can also help them monitor your condition.

Plasma viscosity

This test measures the thickness of blood. Inflammation or infection can thicken plasma.

Other blood tests

If your doctor believes the inflammation is due to viruses or bacteria, they may perform other specific tests. In this case, your doctor can discuss what to expect with you.

Other diagnostic tests

If you have certain symptoms — for instance, chronic diarrhea or numbness on one side of your face — your doctor may request an imaging test to check certain parts of the body or brain. MRIs and X-rays are commonly used.

To diagnose inflammatory gastrointestinal conditions, your doctor may perform a procedure to see inside parts of the digestive tract. These tests can include:

colonoscopy

sigmoidoscopy

upper endoscopy

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