Acute local inflammation causing generalized increased ground substance viscosity: guttate psoriasis, Reiter's syndrome, adjuvant disease, cancer regression.

It is known that at sites of acute inflammation there is increased ground substance formation and fibroblast proliferation. There is also increased serum glycoprotein following localized acute inflammation. The author proposes that a severe acute inflammatory response in a localized area of the body induces a generalized increase in ground substance viscosity (generalized ground substance adaptive phenomenon). This would increase host resistance to invasion and heighten the inflammatory response. There are multiple clinical and experimental facts which could be explained by this response. These include guttate psoriasis, pustular psoriasis, pustular bacterid of Andrew's, Reiter's syndrome, and others. This response would include some aspects of adjuvant disease. Increased generalized ground substance viscosity could also explain the beneficial effects of streptococcal cell fractions and streptococcal infections on tumor regression. A number of other clinical observations could be explained. Connective tissue-activating peptide released at the inflammation site could be having a systemic effect. It could be generally beneficial to have generalized increased ground substance viscosity when acute inflammation is occurring in a localized area. A few patients who already have a highly reactive inflammatory level could develop excess inflammation especially at sites of trauma, or preexisting inflammation.