Inflammation is an ancient medical term that originally referred to classic signs and symptoms including swelling, erythema (redness), warmth, pain, and loss of function (stiffness and stiffness). Inflammation is now viewed as a set of variable responses to tissue injury caused primarily by factors such as toxic chemicals, environmental agents, trauma, overuse, or infection. Some of these responses may promote wound healing and control of infection or pathology, as in many chronic diseases.