Assistant Laboratory Animal Technician (ALAT) Practice Exam

Which problem is not helped with the use of anti-inflammatory drugs?

1. Pain

2. Infection

3. Swelling

4. Fever

The correct answer is: Infection

The use of anti-inflammatory drugs is primarily aimed at addressing issues related to inflammation in the body. Pain, swelling, and fever can all be symptoms of inflammation, and anti-inflammatory medications work to reduce these symptoms by inhibiting the body's inflammatory response. For example, they can alleviate pain by reducing the inflammatory chemicals that contribute to pain signaling, decrease swelling by targeting the inflammatory processes that lead to fluid accumulation, and lower fever by affecting the hypothalamus, which regulates body temperature in response to inflammation. On the other hand, infections are caused by pathogens such as bacteria, viruses, or fungi, and anti-inflammatory drugs do not treat the underlying cause of an infection. They may reduce the symptoms associated with an infection, such as fever, but they do not kill pathogens or address the infection itself. Therefore, while anti-inflammatory drugs can help manage the symptoms associated with fever resulting from an infection, they are not effective for treating the infection directly. This highlights the distinction between inflammation and infection and clarifies why anti-inflammatory drugs do not assist in resolving infectious diseases.