There are two basic types of inflammation – acute and chronic. Acute inflammation is of short duration, which could be anything from a few minutes to a few days. Such inflammation is caused by foreign substances entering the body, or by physical damage. A viral infection may also precipitate acute inflammation. Chronic inflammation, on the other hand, is long lasting. It may persist for weeks, months or even years. Chronic inflammation may be brought on by acute inflammation or it may be the result of an auto immune disease.

Two other, less common types of inflammation are sub-acute inflammation and granulomatous chronic inflammation. Sub-acute inflammation has clinical features of both acute and chronic inflammation – it is an intermediary stage between the two. Granulomatous chronic inflammation is a special type of chronic inflammation that is associated with tuberculosis and some lesser known diseases.