What is this thing called ‘Inflammation’?
Inflammation is like a ‘hurt’, an injury in the body. It may be anywhere.
E.g. if you fall and hurt yourself on the hand, your hand will pain, may become swollen and red – that is inflammation – It is flamed up, on fire!
Just like when you have an infection of the throat, your throat is inflamed. You cannot eat or drink well.
But the cause of these conditions is trauma (injury) or infection. Sometimes injury is caused to the body by the very system that defends us – our Immune system. It is over active and destructive. Such diseases are called inflammatory or autoimmune disorders and are generally difficult to diagnose.
Rheumatologists are experts of diagnosing and then treating autoimmune (inflammatory) diseases.
Rheumatology is a happy field because most inflammatory diseases have good treatments available. Sometimes our patients are able to live normal lives without any medications but this usually happens after a prolonged period (sometimes several years) of continuous therapy under the care of a Rheumatologist.
Any laxity in taking medications – and the inflammation will be back with a vengeance. So let’s not play with Fire! Let the experts put it out.