Jr. The approach and organization of this material was developed by Bowman O. Davis, Jr. for specific use in online instruction. All rights reserved. No part of the material protected by this copyright notice may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the copyright owner. The terms, inflammation and infection , are often mistakenly considered to mean the same thing. Such is not always the case.
Infections can and do cause inflammatory reactions, but inflammation can occur without infection.
Therefore, anything that causes tissue damage can cause inflammation. But microorganisms are not always the culprits. Steroids that mimic the effect of the adrenal corticosteroid, cortisol, are anti-inflammatory in nature and relieve the signs and symptoms of inflammation, while antibiotics are needed to alleviate infections. Pathophysiology of Inflammation Understanding the physiological disruptions that produce the signs and symptoms of inflammation are basic to understanding the inflammatory process. Many of the signs and symptoms are the result of local changes in cardiovascular blood supply to the affected area.