According to Dr. AP Singh, Medical Consultant, Yashoda Super Speciality Hospital, Kaushambi (India), inflammation is the body's natural reaction to trauma or infection, helping to enhance recovery.
However, when inflammation becomes chronic, it can lead to serious health problems such as heart disease, diabetes or cancer. Therefore, it is important to identify inflammation in the body for timely treatment. In fact, inflammation may not cause clear symptoms, so inflammatory tests have become an important tool for early detection and prevention of dangerous diseases.
When should you test inflammation?
Here are the signs that you need inflammatory test:
Prolonged fatigue and body aches: Feeling of fatigue and body aches can be a sign of inflammation in the body, especially if it lasts without a clear reason.
Chronic joint pain or stiffness: inflammation can cause prolonged pain and stiffness, affecting the ability to move and daily activities.
Fever or recurrent infection: If you experience fever or infection regularly without the cause, this may be a sign of chronic inflammation.
Rash or red skin: Rashes, redness or dermatitis may be a sign of dermatitis or other potential problems in the body.
Unknown swelling: swelling in parts of the body without explaining the cause may be a sign of inflammation in the body, especially if the swelling lasts.
Gastrointestinal problems such as flatulence or irregular bowel movements: inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract can cause problems such as flatulence, constipation or diarrhea.
If you encounter any of these symptoms that cannot be explained clearly, talk to your doctor to perform inflammatory tests and determine the cause.
Common tests for inflammation
CRP test (reaction protein C): helps detect inflammation in the body, but does not indicate the specific cause.
Red blood cell deposit rate (ESR): shows the level of inflammation but does not indicate the cause.
Procalcitonin test: helps distinguish between bacterial and other inflammatory infections.
Interleukin-6 test (IL-6): Helps monitor chronic inflammatory diseases.
Conclude
Dr. Singh said that inflammation may occur silently without causing clear symptoms. If you have prolonged symptoms or suspicion of inflammation in the body, perform periodic health checks and consult your doctor. The early detection of inflammation helps you treat promptly and prevent serious diseases.
