One important finding frequently identified in blood and urine testing is evidence of inflammation.
Inflammation is the body’s general response to disease and may occur secondary to infection, tumors, physical trauma or other conditions both local and widespread. Inflammation is not synonymous with infection however, as infection is always caused by microorganisms. Further, while infection almost always causes inflammation, inflammation is very often present in the absence of infection.
Infection involves colonization of body tissues by microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, fungi or even the newest form of infectious organism discovered, "prions." Prions are often the cause of the neurologic diseases such as "Mad Cow disease" and "Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease" in people.
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Inflammation is simply the bodies response to biological insult, with infection being just one type of insult.
“Rubor et tumor cum calor et dolor”
which translates to “redness and swelling, with heat and pain.” He postulated that the heat (fever) was an attempt by the body to heal itself, and that if not interfered with, could return one to health. Many of us are all too familiar with the redness, pain and swelling, as well as the "heat" associated in various degrees with injuries and illnesses we have suffered across our lives. No fun!
Two thousand years on, we still consider inflammation in these terms. Pretty interesting, no?
