Inflammation is generally understood to be a primarily local and protective biological response with the goal of destroying, removing, or encapsulating a damaging agent or injured tissue. The classic cardinal symptoms of inflammation – hyperthermia, redness, swelling, pain, and dysfunction – correspond to physiological changes during the inflammatory process. However, under certain conditions, which may be due to the triggering agent itself or the host’s weaker defense status, the organism is unable to limit the inflammation locally. Systemic inflammation occurs and, in the case of a bacterial infection that cannot be limited, sepsis and septic shock may result.
