May 3, 2005 -- Inflammation is a word that is used frequently but often incorrectly in the popular media. Surprisingly enough, few people know what inflammation really is, and many confuse it with infection, infectious disease, or infectious agents. Drugs mediating inflammation are a multi-billion dollar market, with several blockbuster classes of drugs targeting the malady. It can be a problem and it often causes disease, but there is another, often overlooked side to inflammation: it is a key area for monitoring health status. Part I looks at current treatments for inflammation and the inflammation process itself, both topics serving as a basis for a look into the future...
