In a video posted on Instagram, Dr. Jean-Michel Cohen mentions fatigue, stomach aches, bloating and joint pain as possible signals of low-grade inflammation. The correct answer is more conservative: these symptoms are not enough to identify inflammationbut they deserve to be placed in a medical context.
What low-grade inflammation really means
In the video, Dr Jean-Michel COHEN starts from a simple comparison: classic inflammation, the one we see after a twisted ankle, a cold or the flu, manifests itself as a red, hot, swollen area. It is a defense response of the body.
So-called low-grade inflammation is presented as more discreet, “low noise”, with the image of a small fire which slowly consumes. This image helps to understand the general idea, but it should not be taken as a diagnosis. On a scientific level, we are talking more about a lasting inflammatory activation, often barely visibleinvolved in complex mechanisms.
Researchers clearly describe chronic systemic inflammation as a mechanism that can intervene in several chronic diseases, notably cardiovascular, metabolic, certain autoimmune, neurodegenerative diseases or certain cancers. But two things must be distinguished: being associated with a disease does not mean being the sole cause. Age, genetics, environment, infections, lifestyle or other metabolic factors may also come into play.
Another important nuance: in low-grade inflammation, the immune system is not simply “absent” or inactive. Rather, the problem described is a persistent, maintained or poorly regulated response. To understand the mechanism of inflammation, we must therefore avoid shortcuts: it is a useful phenomenon for the body’s defense, which can become unfavorable when it lasts.
Faced with these symptoms, the right reflex is to avoid self-diagnosis
Persistent fatigue, abdominal pain, swollen stomach or joint pain can sometimes be observed in an inflammatory context. But these are above all very frequent signs and
very unspecific. They can be linked to digestive, rheumatological, infectious, psychological, metabolic, medicinal or even sleep causes.
The risk, with the formula “What if it was low grade inflammation?would be to explain everything too quickly by a single cause. Gold an isolated symptom does not allow us to conclude. What matters is its duration, its intensity, its evolution, the other associated signs and the personal context.
A blood test can sometimes show an inflammatory state, but it is not a stand-alone test that can definitively identify “low-grade inflammation”. Results should always be interpreted by a healthcare professional, based on the clinical examination and history of symptoms.
In practice, it is preferable to seek medical advice when the signs persist, worsen or are out of the ordinary. The following situations should in particular encourage consultation:
- Fatigue that does not relent despite restespecially if it is accompanied by fever, pain or an unwanted change in weight;
- Digestive disorders that last, recur often or disrupt daily life;
- Unusual digestive signs such as blood in the stools, unintentional weight loss, fever, nocturnal symptoms or a recent change in symptoms.
This caution does not mean that you should worry at the slightest bloating or every period of fatigue. It simply reminds us that low-grade inflammation is a biological hypothesis, not a self-label. If a cause is sought, it must be done with a healthcare professional, without interrupting or modifying ongoing treatment without medical advice.