inflammation

The nonspecific immune response that occurs in reaction to any type of bodily injury. It is a stereotyped response that is identical whether the injurious agent is a pathogenic organism, foreign body, ischemia, physical trauma, ionizing radiation, electrical energy or extremes of temperature. The reactions produced during inflammation and repair may be harmful (i.e. hypersensitivity reactions, the processes that lead to rheumatoid arthritis, and possibly microglial over-activation in ALS).