Injuries and infections produce acute inflammation, the body's rapid response mechanism that aims to rid itself of the dangerous invader and return it to a state of balance. A release of warning chemicals sounds the alarm, which draws an army of white blood cells to the site of injury. Some of these cells neutralize the invaders, while others clean up the damage that results from the battle. Acute inflammation typically resolves quickly, within a period of hours to days.

Chronic inflammation can begin via the same process, with the body trying to rid itself of what the immune system interprets as foreign adversaries. But this can become a persistent state, even if the perceived threat isn't truly harmful to one's health. In autoimmune disorders like rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, type 1 diabetes, ulcerative colitis, and multiple sclerosis, the body mistakenly reacts to its own tissues as if they were foreign, and produces damaging inflammation against them.

This chronic kind of low-grade inflammation may continually simmer under the surface. An unhealthy lifestyle that includes smoking, a poor diet, alcohol consumption, sedentary behavior, stress, and weight gain can cause this type of persistent inflammation.

Inflammation is associated with diseases such as the following:

Autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis
Cardiovascular diseases like high blood pressure and heart disease
Gastrointestinal disorders like inflammatory bowel disease
Lung diseases like asthma
Mental illnesses like depression
Metabolic diseases like Type 2 diabetes
Neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s disease
Some types of cancer, like colon cancer

Fatty liver disease
Fatty liver disease can be caused by poor diet, which can set off an inflammatory response. Unchecked, this response can lead to cirrhosis, liver cancer, liver failure, and can ultimately result in death.
Endometriosis
Tissue similar to the uterus lining grows in other parts of the body, such as the abdominal cavity, where the resulting inflammation can cause excruciating pain. The disease can be better managed by addressing pro-inflammatory factors.
Type 2 diabetes mellitus
Low-grade inflammation is common in type 2 diabetes sufferers, but we are only beginning to understand the role inflammation may play in the development of the disease.
Type 1 diabetes mellitus
The immune system attacks and destroys insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. Symptoms include increased thirst, frequent urination, hunger, fatigue and blurred vision.
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)
Umbrella term for ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. The immune system attacks the gut lining causing diarrhoea, abdominal pain, fever and weight loss.
Asthma
Inflammation causes the lining of the airways to swell, narrowing them and making breathing difficult. It also causes the airways to produce more mucus and makes them more sensitive to asthma triggers.
Rheumatoid arthritis
A painful condition associated with inflammation in the joints. In advanced cases, it can cause damage to the heart, lungs, kidneys, skin, eyes and other tissues.
Obesity
With obesity, there is an over-accumulation of fatty tissue, which produces and releases a variety of inflammatory messengers, making obesity an underlying condition for many inflammatory and metabolic diseases.
Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases
Over the past decade, inflammation due to a sustained immune response in the brain has been linked to these two progressive neurodegenerative disorders.
Cancer
Inflammation caused by chronic infection, inflammatory diseases or environmental factors plays a multi-faceted role in certain cancers, as a primary cause and by helping tumours grow and spread.