If left unchecked, chronic inflammation can wreak havoc on your body and your overall health. While the sneaky signs of chronic inflammation are vague and varied, doctors say that being able to recognize the number-one sign of chronic inflammation can help you take the necessary steps to stop inflammation from progressing into a debilitating chronic health condition.
Meet the experts: Brynna Connor, M.D., a family medicine physician in Austin and a healthcare ambassador at NorthwestPharmacy.com; Oluwatosin Ajao, M.D., a triple board-certified physician in internal medicine, lifestyle medicine, and obesity medicine based in Houston.
There are two main types of inflammation: acute and chronic. “Acute inflammation is a rapid, short-term immune response that can last several hours to several days and is caused by injury such as a cut or sprained ankle, a bacterial infection like strep throat, or a viral illness like the flu,” Brynna Connor, M.D., a family medicine physician in Austin and a healthcare ambassador at NorthwestPharmacy.com, previously told Prevention. “Chronic inflammation, which can last months or years, is a long-term, persistent immune response in which the immune system remains activated and subsequently damages healthy tissues, organs, and/or cells.” While acute inflammation is totally natural, chronic inflammation is not, and you want to limit it as much as possible.
So, how do you do that? According to Oluwatosin Ajao, M.D., a triple board-certified physician in internal medicine, lifestyle medicine, and obesity medicine based in Houston, the number-one sign of chronic inflammation to look for is fatigue. “Fatigue is common in many long-term diseases linked to inflammation, such as rheumatoid arthritis, cancer, diabetes, and heart disease,” she says. However, Dr. Ajao also acknowledges that there are many factors and health conditions that can cause fatigue. But if your fatigue is accompanied by other “sickness behaviors,” such as brain fog, blue moods, loss of appetite, or body aches, Dr. Ajao says it’s more likely that inflammation is the culprit.
If you are experiencing new and extreme fatigue, Dr. Ajao recommended asking your doctor for a blood test to check your C-reactive protein levels. “This test, called high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) is a biomarker of inflammation in the body,” she has explained. “Unlike subjective [symptoms], hsCRP provides a fair measure of inflammation. Doctors can track hsCRP levels over time to check for changes.” This way, you can make lifestyle changes, such as eating anti-inflammatory foods, to reduce the inflammation and limit its impact on your overall health.
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