

Carbohydrate, protein, and fat are mobilized from tissue stores and catabolized to meet the energy needs of an increased metabolic rate (hypermetabolism). Flow phase (hypermetabolic phase): This stage peaks in 3 to 4 days and lasts 9 to 14 days, depending on the extent of the injury or infection and the person's physical and nutritional status. Vital signs (heart, respiration, temperature) are less than normal. This response is hormonally mediated and is divided into three distinct phases:Įbb phase (lag phase): For 12 to 36 hr after the precipitating event, the body attempts to conserve its resources. The predictable physiological response that occurs in humans as a result of injury, surgery, shock, ischemia, or sepsis.

See: cell-mediated immunity humoral immunity inflammation inflammatory response Inflammation. The humoral immune response refers to the production of antigen-specific antibodies by plasma B lymphocytes (B cells) antibodies attach to foreign antigens in the bloodstream, helping to inactivate or remove them. T-cell activity also is the basis for delayed hypersensitivity, rejection of tissue transplants, and responses to cancers. The loss of T cells in patients with AIDS, for example, leads to infections with many opportunistic microbes that would otherwise be relatively well tolerated by persons with intact cellular immunity. Without T cells, the body cannot protect itself against many disease-causing microbes. The cell-mediated immune response refers to the activity of T lymphocytes (T cells) produced by the thymus in response to antigen exposure. The specific immune response, involving T cells and B cells, is a reaction to injury or invasion by particular organisms or foreign proteins. As the initial response of the immune system to any threat, it involves vascular, chemical, and white blood cell activities.

The nonspecific immune response, or inflammation, is the response of the body's tissues and cells to injury from any source, e.g., trauma, organisms, chemicals, ischemia. There are several major components to the immune response. It requires that the body recognize the antigen as nonself. The body's reaction to foreign antigens so that they are neutralized or eliminated, thus preventing the diseases or injuries these antigens might cause.
