What it means
When tissue is hurt or infected, blood vessels in the area widen and leak fluid, and white blood cells move in to fight germs and clear damage. This causes the classic signs: redness, warmth, swelling, pain and reduced use of the part. Short-term (acute) inflammation helps healing; long-lasting (chronic) inflammation can damage tissue, as in rheumatoid arthritisROO-muh-toyd ar-THRY-tisA long-term autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks the lining of the joints.rheumat/o flowing, joint pain-oid likearthr/o joint-itis inflammationFull entry . Words ending in -itisEYE-tisA word ending that means inflammation.Full entry name an inflammation.
For the nurse
Describe the signs at a site (size of redness, warmth, swelling, pain score) so changes can be compared. Rest, raising the part, and cold packs early on can reduce swelling; anti-inflammatory drugs such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugnon-STAIR-oy-dul an-tee-in-FLAM-uh-tor-ee DRUGA drug that relieves pain, fever and inflammation and is not a steroid, such as ibuprofen or naproxen.non- notanti- againstinflamm/o inflammationFull entry and corticosteroidkor-tih-koh-STER-oydA drug that acts like the hormones of the adrenal glands, used mainly to calm inflammation and the immune system.cortic/o cortex (the outer layer of the adrenal gland)-oid likeFull entry reduce it.
Remember it
Inflame = set on fire: red, hot, swollen and sore.
At a glance
| Spanish | inflamación |
|---|---|
| Also written | inflammatory, inflamed |
Related terms
edema
Swelling caused by extra fluid trapped in the body's tissues.
-itis
A word ending that means inflammation.
inflammatory bowel disease
A group of long-term diseases, mainly Crohn disease and ulcerative colitis, in which the lining of the digestive tract becomes inflamed.
erythema
Redness of the skin caused by more blood flowing in the small vessels near the surface.