Lymphatic System Flashcards
What is the lymphatic system made up of?
Lymph fluid
Lymph vessels
Lymph nodes
Lymph organs and glands
What is the function of the lymphatic system? what does it prevent?
Maintains fluid levels in our body tissues by removing all fluids that leak out of our blood vessels. Prevents tissues from swelling.
Where does the excess fluid from the body’s tissues go?
Drains into small lymph vessels
What do cells use tissue (Interstitial) fluid for?
Cell metabolism
How does the lymphatic system involve the GI tract ?
the breakdown products of fat and fat-soluble materials are absorbed into the lymphatic vessels of the villi in the small intestine
What are lymphatic vessels?
A network of tubes that connect to groups of the lymph nodes throughout the body.
Vessels and capillaries.
Fluid travels through the lymph vessels and drains into the bloodstream (Subclavian vein)
What are lymph nodes?
Where are lymph nodes?
Main sites are neck, axillae, groin and abdomen. Variation of sizes and amount in each person.
Filter and break down bacteria and/or other harmful cells.
What is Lymph?
Lymph is the fluid that flows through the lymphatic system, a system composed of lymph vessels and intervening lymph nodes whose function, like the venous system, is to return fluid from the tissues to be recirculated.
Function of lymph nodes?
Where lymph is cleaned by reticular and lymphatic tissue.
Organic matter is destroyed.
What lymphocytes mature in lymph nodes?
T and B. Antibodies enter lymph and blood draining the node.
What are tonsils?
They are collections of lymphoid tissue.
Where is the pharyngeal tonsil?
A single tonsil at the back of the nasal cavity
Where are the palatine tonsils?
Paired tonsils on the pharyngeal wall at the back of the mouth
Where is the lingual tonsils?
At the back and sides of the tongue
What is the largest lymph organ?
Spleen
What are the cells in the splenic pulp?
Lymphocytes and macrophages
What carries blood within the spleen? And what do they help with?
Sinususoids. help to remove ageing or damaged cells from the bloodstream.
What is Phagocytosis?
process by which certain living cells called phagocytes ingest or engulf other cells or particle.
functions of the spleen - what does phagocytosis do?
Removes abnormal erythrocytes and their breakdown products. E.g. Leukocytes, platelets and bacteria.
How much blood can the spleen hold?
350mls in red pulp.
Spleen - Immune response?
White pulp - contains T and B lymphocytes
What is Erythropoiesis in the spleen?
Foetal blood cell production.
Thymus gland - where is this located?
Behind the sternum, grows in size until puberty.
Thymus gland - what does it consist of? And what do they contain?
2 lobes joined by areolar tissue. Contains epithelial cells and lymphocytes.
Thymus gland - what does this produce?
Mature T cells, which leave the thymus and enter the blood to other lymphoid tissue or bloodstream.
What is MALT? Where is this found?
Mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue. Found in the GI tract, respiratory tract and GU tract.
What are groups of MALT?
Tonsils and Peyer’s patches (follicles in the mucus membrane that lines your small intestine).
