Two very different inflammatory time courses
Acute inflammation is the body's rapid, protective response to injury or infection. It rises quickly, recruits immune cells and signaling molecules, and is normally an active, regulated process that resolves within hours to days once the threat is cleared. Chronic inflammation instead settles into a low-grade plateau that can persist for months or years without obvious resolution.
The key difference is not just duration but resolution: acute inflammation has built-in off switches, while chronic low-grade inflammation reflects a failure of those resolution programs.
Reading CRP and IL-6 as biomarkers
C-reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) are commonly used markers. IL-6 is a cytokine that signals the liver, which then releases CRP. Both spike sharply in acute inflammation and infection, while modest, persistently elevated levels (often measured as high-sensitivity CRP) are associated with chronic low-grade inflammation and cardiometabolic risk.
These markers are nonspecific and can rise for many reasons, so they are interpreted in clinical context. This is general educational information, not medical advice; lab results should be discussed with a qualified clinician.