The Final Process in Inflammation: Wound Healing

Introduction

Wound healing is the final process in inflammation at which the architecture and the function of the tissues were repaired after an injury.[1] Basically, before wound healing takes place, inflammation occurs at which it helps to eliminate the injurious agents and if elimination is not possible, inflammation helps limiting the effects caused by the injurious agents. Finally, it prepares the site of injury for healing process.[2]

Picture taken from: http://www.pilonidal.org/aftercare/wound_healing_indepth.php

Inflammation

Inflammation is a very important process where it can dilute, destroy and even neutralize the injurious agents that causes the wound.[1] Without inflammation, the wound would never heal as infections at the site of injury remained.[1] There are two types of inflammation which are acute inflammation and chronic inflammation.

Acute inflammation

Acute inflammation can be triggered by stimuli such as immune reactions, tissue necrosis, trauma and infections.[1] It is a rapid response towards injury or foreign substances that deliver leukocytes and plasma proteins to the site of injury.[1] Two major components of acute inflammation are vascular changes and cellular events.[1]

• Vascular changes:

Acute inflammation can caused the vasodilation of blood vessels. Vasodilation of blood vessels result in the increased blood flow to the site of injury, thereby causing erythema (redness) and warmth characteristics.[1] Vasodilation and increased blood flow then leads to an increased in intravascular hydrostatic pressure, allowing the fluid (transudate) to flow from the capillaries into the tissues.[1] The fluid then accumulate in the extravascular spaces causing a condition called edema.[1]

• Cellular events:...

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...ng is chronic disease such as diabetes. The wound on the diabetic patient is very difficult to heal as it involves several mechanisms. Thus, it is very important for the diabetic patients to take good care of themselves from injury as the wound healing process may be difficult.

Works Cited

1. Vinay Kumar, Ramzi S. Cotran & Stanley L. Robbins (2003) Robbins Basic Pathology (7th edition) Saunders

2. Gerard J. Tortora, Berdell R. Funke & Christine L. Case (2006) Microbiology: An Introduction (9th edition) Pearson

3. S. Guo & L.A. DiPietro (2010) Factors Affecting Wound Healing. J Dent Res 89(3): 219-229

4. Eugene W. Nester, Denise G. Anderson, C. Evans Roberts & Martha T. Nester (2007) Microbiology: A Human Perspective (5th edition) McGraw-Hill

5. Cathy Thomas Hess (2011) Checklist for Factors Affecting Wound Healing. Advances in skin and wound care 24(4): 192