@p @saunders @teknomunk @TactlessWookie Chronic inflammation in any organ system is detrimental. With epithelial tissues (mouth/larynx/lungs in smokers, skin in those overexposed to UV rays) it manifests as cancer. With regards to the nervous system, the story is a bit more complicated. For decades we've known that the brains of Alzheimer's patients had classic pathologic features at autopsy: β-amyloid (Aβ) plaques and neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs). Now we're starting to realize that these findings are caused by a sustained intracranial immune inflammatory response in Alzheimer's patients.

Interestingly, chronic neuronal inflammation has been connected to Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, and chronic traumatic encephalopathy as well.

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6214864/