Question

Please discuss your idea about Inflammation and Pain.

Answer 1

Pain is an uncomfortable nervous sensation that alerts about damage or injury in a specific portion of the body.

Inflammation is the body's protective response to irritating agents and it helps to recover from an injury.

For example:

When there is an insect bite, there occurs pain and also a red-colored swelling at the site of injury.

Here, the pain is a sensation that occurs due to the perception of the harmful stimuli (or agent) by the skin which is conveyed to the brain as a warning to avoid further injury.

The swelling due to the bite is the inflammatory response which is set in immediately by the body to arrest the further spread of damage and also start the healing process of the injury.

Features of Pain:

It is a complex experience that could involve both physical and psychological responses to a harmful stimulus. The pain helps to withdraw from the harmful stimuli or creates an awareness of the damage happening in the body.

It can manifest as stinging, steady, throbbing, aching like ways.

Pain is of different types like

Based on duration

a) Acute pain: It is of short duration but quite severe (like the headache)

b) Chronic pain: This is of long duration but can be mild or severe (like the back pain).

Based on the mechanism, it is of two types like

a) Nociceptive pain: This is the most common type and the pain occurs due to the stimulation of nociceptors (pain receptors). These nociceptors are sensitized to pain by body substances like histamine, serotonin, prostaglandins, etc. and external chemicals like the iodine, acids. It can also occur due to heat, cold, pressure, etc.

b) Neuropathic pain: This pain occurs due to damage to the nerves and nervous system.

Complications of pain:

Chronic pain can lead to the development of psychological conditions like anxiety, depression, and also changes in blood pressure, etc.

Treatment of pain:

When the pain that is peripheral in nature like due to swelling or injury (inflammation), drugs like aceclofenac (NSAID's) and paracetamol can be given.

However, for deep-seated excruciating pains opioids like tramadol, buprenorphine, can be used.

Even local anesthetics can be applied to relieve pain locally. They inhibit the transmission of pain stimulus from the origin to the nervous system. Thus pain is not felt.

For non-invasive pain relief methods, cold, hot application and massage can be tried.

Features of inflammation

There are four features of inflammation like redness, swelling, heat, and pain. Sometime there could be a lack of sense too.

The immune cells like granulocytes and molecular mediators like the histamine, prostaglandins, and leukotrienes are involved in the process.

The inflammation helps to prevent further spread of irritants in the body, clear the irritating agent like bacteria, toxins necrotic cells, and damaged tissues and initiate the wound healing or repair of the tissue.

Because of molecular agents like the histamine, prostaglandins and leukotrienes involved in the inflammatory process, there is nociceptive pain at the region of inflammation.

These molecular agents also enhance the dilation of blood vessels leading to an increase in blood flow to the site. There is an accumulation of immune cells that help in healing. Hence, there is swelling and due to chemicals, there is also pain due to which that inflamed region is kept safe till the healing is complete.

Types of inflammation:

a) Acute inflammation: This is the initial response to the harmful stimuli where the body enhances the movement of immune cells and blood plasma to the site of injury.

b) Chronic inflammation: This is the extended inflammation where is destruction and healing of tissue occurring at the same time.

Complications: Inflammation can lead to diseases like

i) Psoriasis

ii) hepatitis,

iii) IBS

iv) Asthma etc.

Treatment of inflammation:

The inflammation can be treated by use of NSAID drugs and also steroids. NSAIDs and steroids inhibit biosynthesis of the inflammatory mediators.