A dangerous level of infection had entered my lungs and there was also widespread inflammation, which was the cause of my breathlessness.

Before peritonitis and widespread inflammation within the abdominal cavity, the appendix must either leak through a perforation or form an abscess that ruptures.

By the 18th and early 19th century doctors understood the association between an inflamed appendix and death from peritonitis, the widespread inflammation of the sac that contains the abdominal organs.

Sepsis occurs when the body's immune system goes into overdrive as it tries to fight an infection, causing widespread inflammation that damages tissue and interferes with blood flow.

As in other neurodegenerative diseases, activated microglia produce inflammatory cytokines that contribute to the widespread inflammation.