Furman · Nature medicine 2019 · narrative review · n=?

Chronic inflammation in the etiology of disease across the life span.

Cited 4855 times in the scientific literature.

Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data

Narrative review and perspective paper with mechanism-based reasoning and no primary empirical data

PubMed 31806905 · doi:10.1038/s41591-019-0675-0 · record verified 2026-08-29

What was done

This perspective paper synthesized mechanisms, risk factors (including infections, physical inactivity, poor diet, environmental toxicants, and psychological stress), and potential early diagnosis, prevention, and treatment strategies related to systemic chronic inflammation (SCI) across the life span.

What was found

The abstract reports no numerical data or quantitative effect sizes. It links SCI conceptually to major causes of disability and mortality, such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes mellitus, chronic kidney disease, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and autoimmune and neurodegenerative disorders.

Why it matters

It outlines a comprehensive conceptual model positioning systemic chronic inflammation as a central common denominator linking modern lifestyle and environmental exposures to leading non-communicable diseases.

Limits

As a narrative review and perspective piece, it lacks systematic search criteria, quality appraisal, primary empirical data, sample sizes, and quantitative estimates.

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