Understanding the Impacts of Chronic Inflammation
Inflammation refers to your body’s process of fighting against things like infections, injuries and toxins that can cause harm. When something damages your cells, your body releases chemicals that trigger a response from your immune system. This includes the release of antibodies, proteins and increased blood flow to the damaged area.
While your body often needs inflammation to heal itself, some medical conditions cause your immune system to attack healthy cells. Inflammation is classified into two main types:
Acute inflammation, such as when you are fighting a cold or healing from a cut, usually appears quickly and resolves in two weeks or less. This type of inflammation restores your body to its state before injury or illness. Five key signs of acute inflammation are pain, redness, loss of function, swelling and heat.
Chronic inflammation is a slower and generally less severe form of inflammation that typically lasts longer than six weeks. Research links chronic inflammation with autoimmune disorders, exposure to environmental/industrial chemicals, genetics and other factors. Common symptoms of chronic inflammation include body pain; constant fatigue and insomnia; depression and anxiety; gastrointestinal issues; weight gain; and frequent infections.
Medical studies indicate that chronic inflammation has a negative impact on your tissues and organs over time. In fact, chronic inflammatory diseases contribute to more than 50% of deaths worldwide. Inflammation is associated with autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis; chronic kidney disease; heart and lung diseases; gastrointestinal disorders such as Chron’s disease; mental illnesses and mood disorders; metabolic diseases such as Type 2 diabetes; some types of cancer; and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s.
It is important to note that symptoms of inflammatory conditions can vary. For instance, in some autoimmune diseases, your immune system affects your skin and causes a rash. In other types, it attacks specific glands affecting hormone levels of the body. One example is rheumatoid arthritis, which occurs when your immune system attacks your joints and causes joint pain, swelling, fatigue, limited range of motion and other symptoms.
The risk factors of chronic inflammation include older age, obesity, a diet heavy in unhealthful fats and added sugar, smoking, alcohol consumption, chronic stress and sleep problems. Often, a person will not manifest key symptoms other than fatigue, feeling generally unwell or having a fever. As a result, many are unaware they have chronic inflammation until they are diagnosed with another medical condition.
While there are no specific tests to diagnose inflammation, certain blood tests are a good starting point. This includes those for C-reactive protein, which indicates infections or inflammation in the general body, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, which reflects inflammation of the heart.
Some of the options recommended by doctors to manage inflammation include nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, corticosteroids and topical analgesics to treat pain, swelling and inflammation. However, long-term use can cause side effects such as peptic ulcer, kidney disease, vision problems and high blood pressure.
Some people believe certain herbal supplements and spices can help with chronic inflammation. However, more evidence-based research and definitive dosage statements are needed. Most health experts agree that lifestyle changes – such as losing weight, increasing physical activity and following a healthier, anti-inflammatory diet – may prove helpful.
The fact that more than half of people in the world die from a disease linked to inflammation raises serious health issues. Experts at Harvard Medical School recommend these lifestyle steps to protect your health and wellbeing:
Eat to beat inflammation.
Foods known to have anti-inflammatory properties include those high in antioxidants and polyphenols like olive oil, leafy greens, tomatoes, fatty fish and berries. Foods to avoid include refined carbohydrates, fried foods and processed meat.Get moving.
This involves finding the right level of aerobic exercise to lower inflammation and how much exercise may actually provoke an inflammatory response.Manage your weight.
Find ways to reduce your intake of sugar and carbohydrates, and focus on reducing abdominal fat.Get enough sleep.
Inadequate sleep not only depletes your energy and productivity. It also elevates inflammation, which is especially hazardous to heart health.Stop smoking.
Overcoming this habit can dramatically reduce inflammation levels within just a few weeks.Limit alcohol use.
While a little alcohol may be helpful for keeping inflammation in check, too much can cause inflammation.Conquer chronic stress.
Too much stress can spark the development of inflammation and cause flare-ups of problems like rheumatoid arthritis, cardiovascular disease, depression and inflammatory bowel disease.
While there are several treatment and lifestyle options available to help reduce the risks of living with chronic inflammation, it is best to speak with your doctor before developing a plan of action or implementing any changes.
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