Lymphatic System
Ok, prepare yourself for a whirlwind trip through the lymphatic system…the most rock and roll system of the body…I hope you brought a spare pair of pants, cause this one is bound to get messy (I hope I’ve not built it up too much)
…What do you mean you’ve never heard of lymph…where have you been?
Ok, strap yourself in. The important parts of the blood pass, as plasma through tiny blood vessels before entering the tissues of the body. Some plasma returns to the blood in the same way, but much of it stays where it is, as interstitial fluid. To prevent build up of plasma in these areas, lymph (comes from a Latin word meaning water) capillaries remove this fluid and carry it to lymph vessels, which carry it through the body.
Now that is pretty clever, but read on…
White blood cells, which protect the body from infection as part of the immune system, are transported in lymph. Lymphatic organs such as the spleen, thymus and tonsils produce and store white blood cells (lymphocytes). If you have an infection, the infection will be carried by the lymphatic system. Because of this, there are hundreds of lymph nodes throughout the body, which filter the lymph and also store lymphocytes, to fight any infection (now that is a pretty cool design feature).
…What do you mean you’ve never heard of lymph…where have you been?
Ok, strap yourself in. The important parts of the blood pass, as plasma through tiny blood vessels before entering the tissues of the body. Some plasma returns to the blood in the same way, but much of it stays where it is, as interstitial fluid. To prevent build up of plasma in these areas, lymph (comes from a Latin word meaning water) capillaries remove this fluid and carry it to lymph vessels, which carry it through the body.
Now that is pretty clever, but read on…
White blood cells, which protect the body from infection as part of the immune system, are transported in lymph. Lymphatic organs such as the spleen, thymus and tonsils produce and store white blood cells (lymphocytes). If you have an infection, the infection will be carried by the lymphatic system. Because of this, there are hundreds of lymph nodes throughout the body, which filter the lymph and also store lymphocytes, to fight any infection (now that is a pretty cool design feature).
Lymph is moved through the lymph vessels when the muscles of the body contract and during breathing. Lymph ultimately drains into the blood through the lymph ducts of the subclavien veins, which are at either side of the neck. When infection occurs, more lymphocytes are produced to fight the infection and so cause swelling (often around the neck, underarms and groin).