What is the common term for inflamed tissues in the body?

The term "inflammation" refers to the body’s response to injury, infection, or irritation, characterized by redness, swelling, heat, and pain. When tissues in the body become inflamed, it is an essential healing process that can signal the presence of pathogens or injury. The process involves various immune system responses to eliminate the initial cause of cell injury, clear out dead cells, and establish a repair mechanism, making inflammation an important physiological reaction.

In contrast, options such as abscess, contusion, and lesion describe more specific conditions or types of damage but do not encapsulate the broader response of the body to tissue irritation or injury. An abscess refers specifically to a localized collection of pus due to infection, a contusion is a bruise caused by trauma resulting in bleeding beneath the skin, and a lesion broadly refers to any abnormal tissue in the body, which may not necessarily involve inflammation. Therefore, "inflammation" is the most accurate term for the general condition of inflamed tissues in the body.