Adipose tissue inflammation. Part 1. Morphological and functional manifestations

The review describes a new pathomorphological phenomenon: adipose tissue inflammation (ATI) that develops in obesity and is characterized by cell infiltration, fibrosis, microcirculatory changes, a shift in adipokine secretion and adipose tissue metabolism, as well as blood accumulation of nonspecific inflammatory markers, such as C-reactive protein, fibrinogen, leukocytes, the level of which reflects the degree of the process. The changes in adipokine secretion and shifts in fat and carbohydrate metabolism, which are typical of ATI, favor the development of atherosclerosis, essential hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and the metabolic syndrome. ATI shows up as a connecting link between these diseases and obesity. The definition of obesity as a chronic inflammatory disease is justified.