Silent Inflammations: Insidious Smoldering Fires in the Body
If you experience sleep disorders or fatigue suddenly and without any obvious cause, this may be due to silent inflammation. In contrast to acute inflammation, silent inflammation is hardly noticeable through the usual signs of inflammation such as redness or swelling. It smolders almost invisibly inside the body. But it is now suspected of promoting a whole range of lifestyle diseases, from obesity to premature aging and tumors. Find out here what makes silent inflammation so dangerous.
Non-specific pain can be a symptom of silent inflammation.
How can silent inflammation be diagnosed?
First, a brief look at the diagnosis and the distinction from acute inflammation: Acute inflammation is clearly noticeable through its five main symptoms, which include redness and pain. In addition, the level of the so-called C-reactive protein (CRP) in the blood plasma rises sharply within a few hours. A CRP concentration of more than 0.5 mg/dl indicates acute inflammation. In healthy people, the value is below 0.1 mg/dl. Silent inflammation lacks clear symptoms and the CRP level shows no findings using normal measuring methods. However, by using sensitive measuring methods, very low CRP concentrations below 0.5 mg/dl can also be shown. This is then referred to as highly sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP). An hs-CRP concentration between 0.1 mg/dl and 0.5 mg/dl indicates silent inflammation. However, since a clear diagnosis is difficult to make, it is also referred to as subclinical or low-grade inflammation.
How to notice a silent inflammation yourself
Chronic inflammations begin unnoticed and gradually, sometimes in bouts. It is therefore often not so easy for those affected to notice the silent inflammation. Silent inflammations are often accompanied by fatigue, sleep disorders or an increased susceptibility to infections. If you catch every infection in winter, this could be an indication of silent inflammation. Regardless of noticeable symptoms, the question is more about the individual risk: people who smoke, drink a lot of alcohol, have a lot of belly fat, are under a lot of stress or suffer from permanently poor sleep quality usually develop silent inflammation at some point in their lives.
Checklist for the risk of silent inflammation:
The more of the symptoms on this checklist you answer with “yes,” the more likely and severe silent inflammation is.
- Do you have impure, dry or rash-prone skin ?
- Are you overweight or have a lot of belly fat?
- Do you often have a runny or stuffy nose?
- Do you often have watery, burning or itchy eyes?
- Do you often feel itching on your body, for example on your genitals or anus?
- Do you often have bleeding or swollen gums?
- Do you suffer from non-specific muscle or joint pain?
- Do you regularly sleep badly and wake up feeling unrefreshed?
- Do you often suffer from bladder or urinary tract infections ?
- Do you often feel a non-specific tiredness or weakness?
- Do you often experience an irregular heartbeat or heart palpitations?
What causes silent inflammation?
Inflammation, as a vital response of the immune system to a damaging stimulus, is a delicate balancing act between pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory messengers in the body. If this balance is disturbed in favor of the pro-inflammatory forces, it can happen that inflammatory processes are not completely switched off, continue to run subliminally and thus become chronic. The most common cause of chronic inflammation is a combination of poor diet, too little exercise and too much stress. Constant stress causes the body to constantly release the stress hormone cortisol. This is one of the most important anti-inflammatory hormones in the body. However, if it is constantly released, it eventually loses this effect. But other factors can also promote silent inflammation:
- Obesity: Belly fat can take on the function of a gland and secrete inflammatory messengers.
- Unfavorable diet: the modern diet of western industrial nations has an unfavorable ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acids . The consumption of omega-6 fatty acids often clearly predominates. While omega-3 fatty acids are involved in the formation of anti-inflammatory messenger substances, omega-6 fatty acids are used to form pro-inflammatory messenger substances.
- Aging processes: As we age, the immune system loses the ability to specifically fight off foreign bacteria or viruses (adaptive or specific immune response). Instead, the non-specific immune response increases due to the increased release of inflammatory messenger substances.
- Endotoxins: These are proteins from the cell walls of dead bacteria. These can enter the bloodstream through damaged intestinal mucosa ( leaky gut syndrome ) and trigger an increase in pro-inflammatory messengers.
- Allergens, i.e. microparticles that are absorbed from the air (exhaust fumes, pollen, smoking), through food or through the skin, can also lead to an increase in inflammatory messenger substances.
- Acute inflammations that have not healed properly, such as sinusitis, encapsulated abscesses or caries.
consequences of silent inflammation
The aim of an inflammatory reaction is to restore homeostasis, i.e. the balance of all bodily functions. However, if the inflammation continues at a low level, the body and immune system become permanently unbalanced. At the beginning, this can be noticeable through sleep disorders and an increased susceptibility to infections. However, the long-term consequences of the increased inflammatory activity are more serious. It is assumed that silent inflammation is one of the risk factors for numerous diseases of civilization. Examples include:
- obesity
- arteriosclerosis
- Autoimmune diseases such as rheumatism
- chronic pain
- type 2 diabetes
- metabolic syndrome
- Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
- tumor diseases
In psychiatry and neurology, it is also undisputed that silent inflammation can trigger depression. The research results of psychoneuroimmunology (PNI), which deals with questions about the close connection between the psyche, the body and the immune system, are exciting in this context. Here, it has already been possible to prove the connection between emotional stability and the immune system - and thus also to the inflammation status. It is proven that, for example, fear of losing one's job or separation from one's partner triggers very similar immune reaction cascades to an infection.
What can I do about silent inflammation?
As a preventative and therapeutic accompaniment, an anti-inflammatory lifestyle is particularly recommended. Unlike medication, exercise and an anti-inflammatory diet have a positive effect on the whole body without side effects. Experts recommend exercising at least three times a week and reducing stress as much as possible - for example through yoga or meditation. This helps to build greater resilience . A healthy diet with a high proportion of fruit and vegetables, with healthy proteins and fats, avoiding white flour in favor of whole grain products, and little meat and sugar can improve the inflammatory factors in the body ( read more about "detox" here ). If sleep quality is poor in the long term, measures should also be taken to maintain sleep hygiene - for example, sticking to fixed sleep times. However, all of these measures are only effective if they are implemented in the long term and become part of normal life. In addition, it is becoming increasingly clear that psychological balance, positive emotions and a stable social environment can contribute to a healthy lifestyle. The best remedies for silent inflammation are: being happy, eating healthily and living an active life.
