Anti-inflammatory Agents

Abstract

Descriptions of inflammation are found in the earliest medical records of civilization. The Greeks referred to it as phlogsis and the Romans as inflammatio. Cornelius Celsus (c. 30 b.c.e. to 38 c.e.) is generally given credit for describing the four cardinal signs of inflammation as rubor et tumor cum calore et dolore: redness and swelling with heat and pain. This nonspecific response of tissues is induced by diverse insults or stimuli. Most observations suggest that the inflammatory response is a beneficial reaction of tissues to injury, leading to removal of the inducing agent and repair of the injured tissue. However, if the stimulus persists, the process may become chronic and produce permanent tissue damage or inappropriate healing.