Taming chronic inflammation may reduce illness, save lives

Scientists from 22 institutions, including UCLA, are recommending early diagnosis, prevention and treatment of severe chronic inflammation to reduce the risk of chronic disease and death worldwide.The group of international experts, which also includes scientists from the National Institutes of Health, Stanford University, Harvard Medical School, Columbia University Medical Center and University College London, point to inflammation-related diseases as the cause of 50 percent of all deaths worldwide.Inflammation is a naturally occurring response by the body ’s immune system that helps fight illness and infection. When inflammation is chronic, however, it increases the risk of developing potentially deadly diseases. Ina perspective article, published in the journal  Nature Medicine, the authors describe how persistent and severe inflammation in the body plays a key role in heart disease, cancer, diabetes, kidney disease, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and autoimmune and neurodegenerative disorders.Future research should focus on identifying ways to better diagnose and treat severe chronic inflammation, according to the authors. Doing so may not only extend life, but also help reduce chronic disease worldwide and improve health, they said.Senior author  George Slavich, director of the  UCLA Laboratory for Stress Assessment and Research, said it is important to make people aware of the risk factors for chronic inflammation, which include obesity, physical inactivity, s...
Source: UCLA Newsroom: Health Sciences - Category: Universities & Medical Training Source Type: news