RLO: The Inflammatory Response

Introduction

The inflammatory response is a series of local cellular and vascular responses which are triggered when the body is injured, or invaded by antigen. For instance, when you nick your skin, get a foreign object in your eye, or are stung by a bee, reactions occur in order to protect you.

One such reaction is pain, which results from swollen tissue putting pressure on nerve endings, and which serves to alert you to the injury.

Other functions of the inflammatory response are to prevent the spread of microorganisms or antigen to other areas, to dispose of any cellular debris, and to begin the healing process.

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