Understanding Inflammation — Spot It, Treat It, Prevent It

You may have heard about inflammation, but you might not understand what it is. And that’s because the concept can be confusing. Inflammation is a natural immune-system response that can help your body fight infections.

But if your immune system stays revved up for too long, it can lead to serious health problems. That is called chronic inflammation.

Chronic inflammation is linked to many of the most common long-term health problems, including diabetes, heart disease, cancer, inflammatory bowel disease and asthma.

These inflammatory diseases are responsible for more than half of all deaths worldwide, according to a study in the journal Nature Medicine. That’s a scary statistic, especially since inflammation is invisible and people don’t always know that they have it.

Here’s everything you should know about inflammation, including what you can do to help prevent it.

What is inflammation?

Inflammation is one of your body’s defense mechanisms. And it isn’t always a bad thing. In the short-term, it’s an important part of the body’s healing process. This is called acute inflammation.

When you catch a virus, for example, your body kicks into gear to fight it. First, your immune system sends white blood cells called leukocytes to the rescue. These release toxins that attack the invading virus.

This could result in a fever, pain, or swelling. Yes, you feel sick, but your body is using inflammation to heal you. After the invading virus has been destroyed, inflammation levels lower and your body is restored to its usual state.

So why do I hear that inflammation is bad?

There are two different types of inflammation, acute and chronic. It’s chronic, not acute, inflammation that puts your health at risk. Chronic inflammation happens when your immune system continues to think there’s a threat to the body. Chronic inflammation keeps your immune system in a constant, harmful state of alertness.

Inflammation is like soldiers below the castle wall, says registered dietitian nutritionist Sonya Angelone, R.D. She is a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics who specializes in the treatment of chronic inflammation. “The inflammatory chemicals are like bullets, and sometimes there’s damage because of friendly fire.”

That’s why if inflammation levels stay high for long periods of time, you’ll end up with long-term tissue or organ damage.

What causes chronic inflammation to happen?

Chronic inflammation is often caused by environmental factors like air pollution and smoking.

It may be partly caused by your diet, exercise and lifestyle habits too. It isn’t usually triggered by viruses, bacteria or injuries.

It can also be caused by an autoimmune disorder like type 1 diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease, or rheumatoid arthritis (RA). RA can make the immune system attack healthy tissues in the joints.

What are the health risks of chronic inflammation?

Inflammation is invisible, but it increases your risk for many diseases:

• Autoimmune diseases, like type 1 diabetes and lupus

• High blood pressure

• High blood sugar

• Heart disease

• Gastrointestinal disorders, including inflammatory bowel diseases

• Asthma

• Mental health conditions like depression

• Type 2 diabetes

• Parkinson’s disease

• Some cancers, including colon, kidney, prostate, and lung cancers

What are the symptoms of chronic inflammation?

Acute inflammation can cause swelling, fever, and pain. Chronic inflammation, however, doesn’t always trigger any symptoms. When symptoms do appear, they can include:

• Abdominal pain

• Chest pain

• Fatigue

• Fever

• Joint pain or stiffness

• Mouth sores

How is chronic inflammation diagnosed?

If you have a chronic condition like heart disease, inflammatory bowel disease or lupus, your doctor may test you for inflammation with a c-reactive protein (CRP) test. CRP is a protein that’s made in the liver. When you have inflammation, your body releases more of this protein into your blood.

A CRP test can track your inflammation levels. When your CRP levels are higher, you have more inflammation. If they’re lower, the inflammation is less. The test can’t tell you what’s causing the inflammation or where it’s located in the body.

How is chronic inflammation treated?

Your treatment will depend on what’s causing your inflammation. For example, if you have chronic inflammation due to inflammatory bowel disease, like Crohn’s or ulcerative colitis, your doctor may prescribe a drug that will lower the activity in your immune system.

If you have an autoimmune condition, and your inflammation is located in a particular muscle or joint, your doctor may give you a steroid shot. People can usually only have three or four steroid injections a year.

In addition to medical treatments, doctors may also “prescribe” certain lifestyle changes that have been shown to help lower inflammation. We’ll cover these in more detail in some of the following questions, but key changes doctors often recommend include:

• Increase your physical activity. Aim for 150 minutes each week.

• Follow a heart-healthy eating plan. The Mediterranean diet and the DASH diet are two eating plans that are easy to adopt.

• Take steps to manage stress. Daily exercise is one good stress reliever, but you can also consider trying different mindfulness techniques, like breathing exercises or meditation. And don’t forget the healing power of staying connected with friends and loved ones.