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Inflammation

Inflammation is the response of the body to infection or irritation,
characterized by redness, heat, swelling and pain. The redness and heat are
caused by the increased blood supply to the affected area. The blood vessels
are dilated and engorged, and there is a loss of blood plasma from them into
the surrounding tissue spaces. This results in edema or swelling. The
swelling distends the tissues, compresses nerve endings, and thus causes
pain. The white blood cells or leucocytes take an important role in
inflammation; they escape the capillaries, crowd the tissue spaces, and
carry on their work as phagocytes picking up bacteria and cellular debris.
They aid in walling off an infection and preventing its spread.

When inflammation subsides, the damaged tissue is repaired. Depending on the
severity of the inflammation and the type of tissue involved repairs may or
may not be complete; in minor inflammations of the skin, for example, the
tissue is capable of complete regeneration whereas in nervous tissue
regeneration may be more limited and the damaged cells may be replaced with
scar tissue.

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