Lymphatic system Flashcards
What are the main components of the lymphatic system?
Lymph fluid (96%water, gases, nutrients, electrolytes, hormones, white blood cells, waste products, lipids)
Lymphatic vessels
Lymph nodes
Accessory nodes (spleen, thymus gland, tonsils & adenoids, peyers patches, bone marrow)
How is the cardiovascular and lymphatic system linked?
Lymphatic vessels have walls that allow large molecules or excess tissue fluid, these vessels lead to the heart where they drain into veins so that tissue fluid is restored to the venus blood
What are the main lymph drainage routes?
The right side of head, neck, chest and right arm drain into the right lymphatic duct which drains in to the right subclavian vein.
The rest of the body drains into the thoracic duct which drains into the left subclavian duct
What are the main functions of lymph?
Removal of fluid from tissues
Transportation of fatty acid into blood stream
Transportation of immune cells from tissue back to blood stream
What are the main immune response cells?
T Lymphocytes - programmed by thalamus to identify and destroy foreign invaders
B Lymphocytes - programmed by bone marrow to create antibodies to tag foreign invaders
Plasma cells - make antibodies
Describe the structure and function of the spleen
Largest mass of lymphatic tissue in body
Posterior to stomach
Contains red and white pulp
Red pulp stores red blood cells during foetal development and 1/3 of body platelets, macrophages destroy worn out blood cells or platelets
White pulp is lymphatic tissue and contains B and T lymphocytes and macrophages
What is the structure and role of the thymus gland?
Large in infants, atrophy when immune system is more mature
Thymus educates T cells to distinguish between normal and foreign tissues before releasing them to lymph nodes
What are some common lymphatic issues?
tonsillitis (persistent inflammation of tonsils caused by viral or bacterial infection)
Appendicitis (Inflammation of appendix caused by viral or bacterial infection)
Lymphoma (malignant cancers of lymphoid tissue)
Lymphoedema (when lymph drainage is poor causing swelling)
