Chronic gastrointestinal inflammation.

Chronic gastrointestinal inflammation is one of the most common types of inflammatory process which affects humans. It is diverse in aetiology, pathogenesis and manifestation. There are also features of chronic inflammation at different sites within the gastrointestinal tract which provide a common thread in terms of the approaches which may be used in investigating these intriguing processes. This paper provides an overview of the mucosal changes in chronic gastrointestinal inflammation. Conserved and variable features of inflammation at different sites extending from the oral cavity to the rectum are highlighted. The involvement of different inflammatory cell types within any diagnostic entity is considered and the progression from an acute to chronic inflammatory condition explored. Important issues in the maintenance of a chronic inflammatory state are the balance between pro- and anti-inflammatory pressures, the driving force behind the inflammation and immune response that is occurring and the mechanisms for curtailment of unwanted or harmful responses which may damage the host. Thus inflammation is likely to result when there is persistence of a driving force and/or imbalance in the pro- and anti-inflammatory mechanisms in the tissue involved.