PATHOLOGICAL ANATOMICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF ACUTE AND CHRONIC INFLAMMATION
Abstract
Inflammation is a fundamental pathological process that plays a critical role in the body’s defense against tissue injury and infection. Based on duration, cellular composition, and morphological characteristics, inflammation is traditionally classified into acute and chronic forms. This article aims to analyze the pathological anatomical features of acute and chronic inflammation, focusing on their cellular components, vascular changes, and tissue remodeling processes. A descriptive and analytical review of histopathological specimens and classical pathology literature was conducted to compare morphological patterns of different inflammatory types. The findings demonstrate that acute inflammation is characterized by rapid onset, prominent vascular reactions, exudation, and predominance of neutrophils, whereas chronic inflammation is associated with prolonged infiltration of mononuclear cells, progressive tissue destruction, fibrosis, and angiogenesis. Granulomatous inflammation represents a distinctive subtype of chronic inflammation with specific morphological features. Understanding these differences is essential for accurate histopathological diagnosis and has significant implications for clinical management and therapeutic decision-making
Keywords
Acute inflammation; Chronic inflammation; Pathological anatomy; Histopathology; Neutrophils; Granulomatous inflammation; Fibrosis
References
- Kumar V, Abbas AK, Aster JC. Robbins and Cotran Pathologic Basis of Disease. 10th ed. Philadelphia: Elsevier; 2021.
- Abbas AK, Lichtman AH, Pillai S. Cellular and Molecular Immunology. 9th ed. Philadelphia: Elsevier; 2021.
- Cotran RS, Kumar V, Collins T. Robbins Pathologic Basis of Disease. 8th ed. Philadelphia: Saunders; 2019.
- Medzhitov R. Origin and physiological roles of inflammation. Nature. 2008;454(7203):428–435.
- Ferrero-Miliani L, Nielsen OH, Andersen PS, Girardin SE. Chronic inflammation: importance of NOD2 and NALP3 in interleukin-1β generation. Clin Exp Immunol. 2007;147(2):227–235.
- Nathan C, Ding A. Nonresolving inflammation. Cell. 2010;140(6):871–882.
- Rock KL, Latz E, Ontiveros F, Kono H. The sterile inflammatory response. Annu Rev Immunol. 2010;28:321–342.
- Weissleder R, Pittet MJ. Imaging in the era of molecular oncology. Nature. 2008;452(7187):580–589.
- Cotran RS. Inflammation and repair. In: Kumar V, Abbas AK, Aster JC, editors. Robbins Basic Pathology. Philadelphia: Elsevier; 2020. p. 29–74.
- Turner MD, Nedjai B, Hurst T, Pennington DJ. Cytokines and chemokines: At the crossroads of cell signalling and inflammatory disease. Biochim Biophys Acta. 2014;1843(11):2563–2582.
- Takeuchi O, Akira S. Pattern recognition receptors and inflammation. Cell. 2010;140(6):805–820.
- Barnes PJ. Inflammatory mechanisms in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2016;138(1):16–27.
- Wynn TA. Cellular and molecular mechanisms of fibrosis. J Pathol. 2008;214(2):199–210.
- Libby P. Inflammation in atherosclerosis. Nature. 2002;420(6917):868–874.
- Dinarello CA. Anti-inflammatory agents: present and future. Cell. 2010;140(6):935–950.
- Hunter CA, Jones SA. IL-6 as a keystone cytokine in health and disease. Nat Immunol. 2015;16(5):448–457.
- Chen L, Deng H, Cui H, et al. Inflammatory responses and inflammation-associated diseases in organs. Oncotarget. 2018;9(6):7204–7218.
- Ramakrishnan L. Revisiting the role of the granuloma in tuberculosis. Nat Rev Immunol. 2012;12(5):352–366.
- Balkwill F, Mantovani A. Inflammation and cancer: back to Virchow? Lancet. 2001;357(9255):539–545.
- Serhan CN, Savill J. Resolution of inflammation: the beginning programs the end. Nat Immunol. 2005;6(12):1191–1197.
- Calder PC, Ahluwalia N, Brouns F, et al. Dietary factors and low-grade inflammation in relation to overweight and obesity. Br J Nutr. 2011;106(S3):S5–S78.