Guest guest Posted March 31, 2009 Report Share Posted March 31, 2009 Hi there, Sorry to use you as a medical dictionary but is there an easy way to explain the difference between inflammation and infection? In Finnish both are translated with one word wich resulted in Eemeli's dr explaining Eemeli's bile duct brushings and the medication used in a way that did not really make sense to me. And the second explanation made it only slightly more understandable. Anyhow, his bile was not tested for bacteria or Candida. It is just known that his ducts are higly inflamed. No mention of infection. So is infection the term caused by when the cause of the process is known eg bacteria or fungus or the actual process which results in an inflammation? And inflammation what takes place at the walls of the duct (with an indeterminate cause)? That is what it sounded to me but could be the difference between the terms is something else. I had never noticed before that there might be confusion between these two i-words. Sorry to be asking yet another question but hope it is more clear to you than it is to me (a non-native English-speaker). Taru-Mari, mom of Eemeli (12), PSC 7/2003 & UC 5/2008 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 31, 2009 Report Share Posted March 31, 2009 Inflammation is a description of the body tissues - generally including heat, discoloration, and swelling. It MAY BE (but is not always)caused by an infection. It can also be caused by other things than an infection. Infection is the body's response to a pathogen (e.g., bacteria, virus, fungus). The body tissue's response to an infection MAY (but does not always) include inflammation.Hope that helps. , Mom to 18 yo daughter UC 6/95, PSC 3/09 Hi there, Sorry to use you as a medical dictionary but is there an easy way to explain the difference between inflammation and infection? Taru-Mari, mom of Eemeli (12), PSC 7/2003 & UC 5/2008 .. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 31, 2009 Report Share Posted March 31, 2009 Inflammation is a description of the body tissues - generally including heat, discoloration, and swelling. It MAY BE (but is not always)caused by an infection. It can also be caused by other things than an infection. Infection is the body's response to a pathogen (e.g., bacteria, virus, fungus). The body tissue's response to an infection MAY (but does not always) include inflammation.Hope that helps. , Mom to 18 yo daughter UC 6/95, PSC 3/09 Hi there, Sorry to use you as a medical dictionary but is there an easy way to explain the difference between inflammation and infection? Taru-Mari, mom of Eemeli (12), PSC 7/2003 & UC 5/2008 .. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 31, 2009 Report Share Posted March 31, 2009 Hi Taru-Mari; Perhaps this article will help explain the difference: Inflammation From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inflammation " Inflammation (Latin, inflamatio, to set on fire) is the complex biological response of vascular tissues to harmful stimuli, such as pathogens, damaged cells, or irritants.[1] It is a protective attempt by the organism to remove the injurious stimuli as well as initiate the healing process for the tissue. Inflammation is not a synonym for infection. Even in cases where inflammation is caused by infection, the two are not synonymous: infection is caused by an exogenous pathogen, while inflammation is the response of the organism to the pathogen. In the absence of inflammation, wounds and infections would never heal and progressive destruction of the tissue would compromise the survival of the organism. However, an inflammation that runs unchecked can also lead to a host of diseases, such as hay fever, atherosclerosis, and rheumatoid arthritis. It is for this reason that inflammation is normally closely regulated by the body. Inflammation can be classified as either acute or chronic. Acute inflammation is the initial response of the body to harmful stimuli and is achieved by the increased movement of plasma and leukocytes from the blood into the injured tissues. A cascade of biochemical events propagates and matures the inflammatory response, involving the local vascular system, the immune system, and various cells within the injured tissue. Prolonged inflammation, known as chronic inflammation, leads to a progressive shift in the type of cells which are present at the site of inflammation and is characterised by simultaneous destruction and healing of the tissue from the inflammatory process. " Dave R. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 31, 2009 Report Share Posted March 31, 2009 Hi Taru-Mari; Perhaps this article will help explain the difference: Inflammation From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inflammation " Inflammation (Latin, inflamatio, to set on fire) is the complex biological response of vascular tissues to harmful stimuli, such as pathogens, damaged cells, or irritants.[1] It is a protective attempt by the organism to remove the injurious stimuli as well as initiate the healing process for the tissue. Inflammation is not a synonym for infection. Even in cases where inflammation is caused by infection, the two are not synonymous: infection is caused by an exogenous pathogen, while inflammation is the response of the organism to the pathogen. In the absence of inflammation, wounds and infections would never heal and progressive destruction of the tissue would compromise the survival of the organism. However, an inflammation that runs unchecked can also lead to a host of diseases, such as hay fever, atherosclerosis, and rheumatoid arthritis. It is for this reason that inflammation is normally closely regulated by the body. Inflammation can be classified as either acute or chronic. Acute inflammation is the initial response of the body to harmful stimuli and is achieved by the increased movement of plasma and leukocytes from the blood into the injured tissues. A cascade of biochemical events propagates and matures the inflammatory response, involving the local vascular system, the immune system, and various cells within the injured tissue. Prolonged inflammation, known as chronic inflammation, leads to a progressive shift in the type of cells which are present at the site of inflammation and is characterised by simultaneous destruction and healing of the tissue from the inflammatory process. " Dave R. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 31, 2009 Report Share Posted March 31, 2009 Dear and Dave, Thank you very much for the explanations. Funny that there is no proper translation of inflammation in Finnish. I'll pay more attention to the terms in the future and try not to confuse them! So Eemeli has inflammation but infection was not tested for (samples were not cultured - now I checked from Wikipedia - that is what the dr said). Thanks again for your help Taru-Mari, mom of Eemeli (12), PSC 7/2003 & UC 5/2008 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 31, 2009 Report Share Posted March 31, 2009 Dear and Dave, Thank you very much for the explanations. Funny that there is no proper translation of inflammation in Finnish. I'll pay more attention to the terms in the future and try not to confuse them! So Eemeli has inflammation but infection was not tested for (samples were not cultured - now I checked from Wikipedia - that is what the dr said). Thanks again for your help Taru-Mari, mom of Eemeli (12), PSC 7/2003 & UC 5/2008 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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