Acute inflammation is the body’s immediate response to an injury or infection. When the body is damaged, the immune system sends white blood cells to destroy any damaging substances, heal the tissues, and return the affected area to a state of balance. This rapid response causes familiar symptoms like redness, pain, warmth, and swelling.

Inflammation and the harmful chemicals it produces can contribute to a wide array of conditions, including Alzheimer’s, dementia, cancer, anxiety, depression, cardiovascular diseases, Type 2 diabetes, allergies, asthma, and various skin conditions such as acne, eczema, and psoriasis. It can also aggravate arthritis.

Infections such as strep can lead to complications like rheumatic fever, primarily in children aged 5 to 15 years old, and streptococcal glomerulonephritis, a kidney disorder. Strep bacteria can also cause scarlet fever, an infection characterized by a red rash.

Health UCSD research indicates that in a mouse model of S. aureus bacteremia, mice with higher thyroxine levels had a significantly greater survival rate, suggesting that certain biomarkers can directly influence disease outcomes.

Moreover, as per Northeastern University, COVID-19 may affect the blood through its spike protein, potentially causing dysregulated blood vessel growth and subsequent tissue damage. Sepsis, a severe condition that can follow an infection, can trigger a chain reaction leading to tissue damage, organ failure, and death, as explained by Ohio State Medical Center.

Chronic inflammation, on the other hand, can persist over time and play a role in the development of various long-term diseases. Harvard Health elucidates that chronic inflammation arises when the inflammatory response lingers, leaving the body in a constant state of alert.