Inflammation In the Body: What You Need To Know Inflammation means to, “set on fire.” If there was no acute inflammation, wounds and cuts would never heal properly. However, on-going inflammation or chronic inflammation can lead to a wide range of diseases – hay fever, atherosclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis. Understanding Acute and Chronic Inflammation: Acute inflammation: Acute inflammation is the body’s first response to a harmful stimuli or foreign invader. It is primarily responded by the immune system with leukocytes (HBD: Battle with the Bugs) and/or the circulatory system from the blood into the injured tissues (HBD: A Heart Pumping Adventure). For example, if you sprain your ankle, chemicals form and…