Authors:
Anne Husebekk, MD, Ph.D., Department of Immunology and Transfusion Medicine, University Hospital of Tromsų, Norway
and
Lars-Olof Hansson, MD, Ph.D., Department of Medical Sciences, University Hospital, Uppsala, Sweden
(Ref. 3)
In the acute phase reaction, several biochemical, metabolic, hormonal and cellular changes take place in order to fight the stimulus and re-establish a normal functional state in the body. Examples of these changes are shown in Table I. An increase in the number of granulocytes will increase the phagocytotic capacity, an increase in scavengers will potentiate the capability to neutralise free oxygen radicals, and an increase in metabolic rate will increase the energy available for cellular activities, despite a reduced food intake. Some of these changes can explain the symptoms of an acute phase reaction, which are typically fever, tiredness, loss of appetite and general sickness, in addition to local symptoms from the inducer of the acute phase (Table II).
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