Immunology and Inflammation

Immunology is the study of the body’s natural defence mechanisms against disease and the responses of the body when challenged by antigens. Antigens include toxins or poisonous substances, bacteria and foreign blood cells, and the presence of antigens in the body triggers an immune response, usually the production of antibodies.

Inflammation and inflammatory diseases can be classified in a number of different ways, for example as allergies or autoimmune disease, but in all cases the common factor is that inflammation results from the inappropriate activation of the cells of the immune system.  More information can be found in allergies which may also cause respiratory disorders.  The most severe allergic reaction is anaphylaxis.

Autoimmune diseases comprise a growing group of medical conditions in which the body’s own immune system fails to recognise the body as self, mounts an abnormal immune attack and typically destroys afflicted the tissue with severe results, for example, the joints in rheumatoid arthritis and the lining of the gastrointestinal tract in Crohn’s disease. Psoriasis and systemic lupus erythematosus, often referred to as SLE are two further examples of autoimmune disease.

Osteoarthritis is a form of arthritis in which the cartilage that cushions the ends of bones within joints, deteriorates as a result of normal wear and tear and causes swelling, pain, stiffness and inflammation of the joints.

Inflammation in the oesophagus, the part of the intestines that runs from the mouth to the stomach, may lead to digestive disorders and ulcerative colitis, a type of inflammatory bowel disease.