Inflammation
of the body to protect tissues from infection, injury or disease. The inflammatory response begins with the production and release of chemical agents by cells in the infected, injured or diseased tissue. These agents cause redness, swelling, pain, heat and loss of function. Inflamed tissues generate additional signals that recruit leukocytes to the site of inflammation. This inflammatory response usually promotes healing but, if uncontrolled, may become harmful. The inflammatory response can be either acute or chronic. Acute inflammation typically lasts only a few days. The treatment of acute inflammation, where therapy includes the administration of aspirin and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents targeting the Cox – 2 enzyme, provides relief of pain and fever for patients. tissue damage. CHRONIC INFLAMMATION In chronic inflammation, the inflammation becomes the problem rather than the solution to infection, injury or disease. Chronically inflamed tissues continue to generate signals that attract leukocytes from the bloodstream. When leukocytes migrate from the bloodstream into the tissue they amplify the inflammatory response. This chronic inflammatory response can break down healthy tissue in a misdirected attempt at repair and healing. claiming more lives each year than all forms of cancer combined. Coronary heart disease (CHD) is the most common, and serious, consequence of this disease. Atherosclerosis is a common and progressive disease of the arteries that results from inflammation and the buildup of plaque under the inner lining of arteries and swells into the hollow or lumen of the arteries. This accumulation takes place over years, even decades, developing slowly and insidiously. Plaque formation begins as fatty streaks on the inner arterial wall. Over time the fat deposits accumulate and grow, narrowing the opening of the artery. Surrounding smooth muscle tissue also proliferates to form larger plaques. The damage from atherosclerosis occurs when the swelling, called a plaque, becomes large enough to reduce or completely block the blood flow through the arteries. The artery wall becomes thickened and loses its elasticity. Any tissue supplied by the blocked artery is in danger. Atherosclerosis, depending on the location of the artery it affects, may result in heart attack, stroke or amputation. Atherosclerosis of the blood vessels of the heart is called coronary artery disease. There are no medications available for physicians to treat directly the underlying chronic inflammation of atherosclerosis. According to the American Heart Association, nearly 14 million Americans suffer from CHD today. It is the single largest killer of American males and females. More than one in five deaths are from CHD. It is estimated that the cost of CHD in the United States for 2005 will be $142 billion. Rheumatoid Arthritis is a common auto-immune disease which affects joints and arterial blood vessels. Roughly 70% of patients with rheumatoid arthritis are young and middle-aged women. We treat rheumatoid arthritis in a stepwise escalation, starting with the occasional to regular use of anti-inflammatory agents such as aspirin, ibuprofen and Cox – 2 Inhibitors, and proceed in resistant patients to treatment with toxic drugs that affect the body's immune system, termed Disease Modifying Anti-Rheumatic Drugs (DMARDS). New DMARDS target the modulation of Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha (TNFa), a protein that stimulates a broad range of cellular activities implicated in the inflammation process, tissue repair and proliferation. According to the Arthritis Foundation, there are 2.1 million people with rheumatoid arthritis in the United States. Rheumatoid arthritis and related diseases cost the U.S. economy more than $65 billion annually in direct and indirect costs. Asthma is a common chronic inflammatory disease of the bronchial tubes, which are the airways in the lungs. Asthma is marked by episodic airway attacks that are caused by many stresses, including allergy, cold air, ozone or exercise. Asthma therapy has concentrated on the use of inhaled corticosteroids to reduce chronic inflammation and bronchodilators to provide symptomatic relief. Asthmatic patients, however, continue to experience flare-ups, or exacerbations, that are not prevented or treated by these medicines. We regularly use anti-inflammatory agents, such as anti-histamines, leukotriene antagonists and corticosteroids, alone or in combination to treat this disease. However, these diseases may suddenly flare due to either the tissue inflammation that underlies them or bacteria that take advantage of the suppressed immune response induced by present therapies. Joint Inflammation Repeated trauma or stress to the joint, incurred during everyday use, athletic training, or performance, is often the initiating cause of joint inflammation. The familiar symptoms -— pain, swelling, and heat —- are usually the result of inflammation in the synovial membrane and joint capsule. The initial inflammation usually involves only the soft tissue structures of the joint (synovial membrane/joint capsule), and cartilage damage is generally not present at this early stage. The synovial membrane responds to injury by becoming inflamed, a condition referred to as synovitis. This inflammation allows leukocytes, or white blood cells, which are normally filtered out of the joint, to invade the joint space. The inflamed synovial membrane and the leukocytes release destructive enzymes such as free radicals, cytokines, and prostaglandins, all of which are potentially damaging to the articular cartilage. Left untreated, or allowed to recur repeatedly, these inflammatory mediators produced by the inflamed joint have a degrading or damaging effect upon the cartilage. |
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