Acute vs chronic inflammation
| Acute | Chronic | |
|---|---|---|
| Triggered by | An injury or infection | Ongoing exposures, even without a clear threat |
| How long | Hours to a few days | Months or years, with flare-ups |
| Signs | Redness, warmth, swelling, pain, trouble using the area | Harder to spot: fatigue, joint pain or stiffness, poor sleep, gut problems, rashes, mood changes, frequent infections |
What drives chronic inflammation
Cleveland Clinic says environmental and lifestyle factors cause most chronic inflammation:
- Low physical activity
- Chronic stress
- Obesity, especially deep belly (visceral) fat
- An imbalance of gut microbes (dysbiosis)
- Diets high in trans fats or salt, and refined carbohydrates
- Disrupted sleep and body clock
- Tobacco use and regular heavy drinking
- Exposure to toxins and industrial chemicals
Chronic inflammation is linked to autoimmune conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease, asthma and COPD, depression, some cancers, and Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease.
How inflammation is measured
- CRP (C-reactive protein): a protein your liver makes in response to inflammation. High levels can mean infection, autoimmune disease, inflammatory bowel disease or other conditions, and smoking, obesity, poor sleep and depression can raise it too. See CRP and hs-CRP.
- hs-CRP: a more sensitive version that picks up small increases and is used to help estimate heart disease risk. See hs-CRP blood test.
- ESR (sed rate): measures how fast red blood cells settle in a tube; inflammation makes them settle faster. It's often ordered with CRP, and a normal ESR doesn't rule out inflammation.
All of these are nonspecific. Some medicines, including NSAIDs such as ibuprofen and aspirin, can affect CRP. For a broader look, see inflammation blood tests or an inflammatory markers panel.
What helps lower chronic inflammation
- At least 150 minutes a week of moderate activity, such as brisk walking
- Not smoking, and limiting alcohol
- Mostly fresh or minimally processed foods: fatty fish, fruit, leafy greens, and spices such as turmeric, ginger and garlic; Mediterranean and DASH-style eating patterns
- Fewer fried foods, processed meats such as hot dogs and deli meats, salty foods and refined carbohydrates
- Reaching or keeping a healthy weight, and protecting sleep
In a small Stanford study, healthy adults who ate more fermented foods for 10 weeks had lower levels of 19 inflammatory proteins. See the anti-inflammatory diet and probiotic foods.
Get care promptly for fever with a hot, red, swollen or very painful area, joint swelling with fever, chest pain, or unexplained weight loss. Gabriel can explain your lab results, but it doesn't diagnose; a clinician should look at what's behind a high result.
Common questions
What causes inflammation in the body?
Short-term inflammation comes from injury or infection. Chronic inflammation is driven mostly by inactivity, stress, excess belly fat, smoking, heavy drinking, poor sleep and diet.
What are signs of chronic inflammation?
They're often vague: fatigue, joint pain or stiffness, poor sleep, gut problems, rashes, mood changes and frequent infections.
How do you test for inflammation?
Common blood tests are CRP, hs-CRP and ESR. They show inflammation is present but not its cause or location.
What foods cause inflammation?
Cleveland Clinic lists trans fats, fried foods, processed meats such as hot dogs and deli meats, salty foods and refined carbohydrates such as sugar and white bread.
Can inflammation be lowered?
Often, yes. Regular activity, not smoking, limiting alcohol, a mostly whole-food diet, healthy weight and good sleep all help.
Sources
- Inflammation Cleveland Clinic
- C-Reactive Protein (CRP) Test MedlinePlus, U.S. National Library of Medicine
- Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (ESR) MedlinePlus, U.S. National Library of Medicine
- Fermented-food diet increases microbiome diversity, decreases inflammatory proteins, study finds Stanford Medicine
This guide is general information, not medical advice. It does not replace a visit with a licensed clinician. Gabriel membership is not health insurance.