The last time you were bitten by a mosquito or stubbed your
toe, you likely noticed some redness and swelling, plus maybe a little
heat and itchiness. Those are all classic signs of inflammation, a part of
your body's natural response to infections and injuries. Thankfully, acute
inflammation like this usually only lasts a few hours or a couple days.
But lower-grade inflammation can be lurking in your body—without
any of the telltale symptoms of that itchy bite or throbbing toe—for months or
even years. "This is the inflammatory response gone awry," says Joel
Linden, PhD, a professor in the division of inflammation biology at the La
Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology in California.
