A Social Study of Chronic Inflammation in Health and Disease
Research type
Research Study
Full title
'The fuel that feeds the flames': Chronic inflammation and shifting conceptualisations of disease
IRAS ID
351695
Contact name
Julia Swallow
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Sheffield
Duration of Study in the UK
4 years, 7 months, 31 days
Research summary
Inflammation is a tool of the immune system and a necessary response to illness or injury that is key to managing infections and healing wounds. Chronic inflammation, which is initiated by immune system dysfunction, can, however, be disadvantageous, leading to a wide range of complex degenerative conditions. Understanding chronic inflammation is increasingly seen in biomedicine as key to understanding disease cause and risk, and also as a target for therapeutic intervention. Public and popular culture discourse also emphasises an anti-inflammatory lifestyle to prevent and reduce chronic inflammation and onset of degenerative disease. Attention focuses on how to rectify the internal immune system imbalance which prompts persistent chronic inflammation by adopting a healthy diet, exercising, or avoiding stress.
This research is a qualitative ethnographic study exploring how chronic inflammation is impacting how degenerative disease is understood, approached and managed as part of scientific research and clinical practice. This includes exploring how it impacts understandings and perspectives of degenerative disease, and how it impacts understandings, practices and experiences of disease risk, management and prevention. Focussing on four disease case studies – Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis – we (PI (who is the CI) and RF) will observe laboratory work and clinical consultations and we will interview scientists, healthcare practitioners, patients and accompanying persons. We want to explore the consequences of emerging interest in the relationship between chronic inflammation and disease aetiology for how disease is studied in the laboratory and acted and intervened on in clinical practice and for individuals’ understanding and experience of degenerative disease.
This data and analysis will be useful for an improved understanding of the impact of biomedical innovation on patients' experiences of degenerative disease and chronic inflammation as well as the practice of healthcare. It is anticipated that this work will help change health policy for the better and improve care for patients living with degenerative conditions.
NB. This application refers only to observations of clinical consultations and interviews with patients and accompanying persons. A separate process of ethical approval has been submitted via the University of Sheffield to observe laboratory practice and interview scientists and healthcare practitioners.
REC name
HSC REC A
REC reference
25/NI/0147
Date of REC Opinion
27 Oct 2025
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion