Inflammation is a natural healing response by the body, but there are two types: acute and chronic. Acute inflammation is a short-term, healthy response by the immune system that initiates healing or fighting off a pathogen like harmful bacteria. While a little bothersome, acute inflammation slowly goes away over a few days as healing occurs. Chronic inflammation, on the other hand, is not so healthy, and unlike acute inflammation, it doesn’t subside. Instead, it continues long-term for months or even years.
Chronic inflammation is also insidious, meaning it develops quietly with few noticeable symptoms (and often those symptoms could be related to many things), and it continues, often slowly increasing in intensity. The effects are that aging occurs at a faster rate and the body is pushed closer, and more quickly, to diseases and conditions like diabetes, cancer, dementia, heart disease, autoimmune issues, Alzheimer’s, and other inflammatory-related conditions (see page 17).
Here’s a quick snapshot of how acute and chronic inflammation differ:
|
ACUTE OR “GOOD” INFLAMMATION |
CHRONIC OR “BAD” INFLAMMATION |
WHAT IS IT? |
Healthy short-term immune system response to a stimulus |
Ongoing, low-level immune system response to an unresolved stimulus or continuous irritant |
CAUSES (STIMULUS OR IRRITANT) |
Harmful bacteria, toxin, cut, bruise, sprain, injury, burn, allergic reaction |
An acute inflammation or infection not being completely resolved, foreign bodies (chemicals, allergens, additives, etc.), or continuous irritants (stress, diet, lack of sleep, sedentary lifestyle, autoimmune reaction) |
IMMUNE RESPONSE |
Immediate, minutes to hours |
Delayed |
SIGNS |
Swelling, redness, pain, pus |
No overt symptoms, only subtle ones that could be attributed to a variety of things; symptoms typically increase in severity as inflammation builds. |
HEALTH IMPACT |
Inflammation slowly subsides with healing or resolution of initial cause, usually within a few days to weeks. The body returns to its normal healthy state. |
Until it is resolved, inflammation continues and may be encouraged or exacerbated by other foreign bodies or irritants to initiate damage or disease at a higher rate than normal. |
