Ch. 09 Lymphatic System Terms
An enlarged pouchlike structure at the start of the thoracic duct that serves as a storage area for purified lymph before it is returned to the bloodstream. It also receives chyle from the intestinal lacteals.
Cisterna chyli
Lymphatic System
Consists of lymph, lymph vessels, lymph nodes, and lymphatic tissue. It works with the circulatory system and impacts immunity (or the ability to resist an infection).
A mass of lymphatic tissue in the center of the upper chest. It produces antibodies and manufactures lymphocytes early in life, then atrophies and is replaced by fat and connective tissue.
Thymus
bone marrow
The soft, spongy tissue in the center of certain bones. It is where all blood cells, including the immature lymphocytes, are initially created.
Lymphatic tissue found in the mucous membranes lining the respiratory, digestive, and genitourinary tracts. It acts as a first line of defense to trap and destroy pathogens entering the body.
Mucosa-Associated lymphoid tissue (MALT)
Achieved through the presence of antibodies to a disease in a person's system. Antibodies are proteins produced by the body to destroy pathogens.
Immunity
Lymphatic vessels
Vessels located throughout the body that pick up lymph and join to form larger vessels, passing through the lymph nodes. They have valves to keep lymph flowing in only one direction.
Masses of lymphatic tissue that filter interstitial fluid. There are three pairs: Palatine, Pharyngeal (adenoids), and Lingual.
Tonsils
antigen
Any substance (like a protein or carbohydrate) that the body recognizes as foreign and that triggers an immune response, leading to the production of antibodies.
Lymphedema
A lymphatic disorder characterized by the build-up of lymph fluid in body tissues, causing swelling. It is often caused by damage or blockage of the lymph nodes or vessels.
Specialized lymphatic capillaries located in the area of the small intestine that pick up digested fats or lipids. They transport chyle (lymph mixed with lipids) to the bloodstream through the thoracic duct.
Lacteals
Right lymphatic duct
The short tube that receives purified lymph from the right side of the head and neck, the right chest, and the right arm. It empties into the right subclavian vein.
A type of white blood cell (leukocyte) that fights infection. The two main types are B cells (which produce antibodies) and T cells (which are critical for cell-mediated immunity and mature in the thymus).
Lymphocytes
Afferent lymphatic vessels
The vessels that carry unfiltered lymph into a lymph node for cleaning.
A general term for cancer that originates in the lymphatic system, such as in the lymph nodes.
A thin, watery fluid composed of intercellular, or interstitial, fluid. It forms when plasma diffuses into tissue spaces. It contains water, digested nutrients, salts, hormones, oxygen, carbon dioxide, lymphocytes, and metabolic wastes such as urea. When this fluid enters the lymphatic system, it is known as lymph.
Lymph
spleen
An organ located beneath the left side of the diaphragm and in back of the upper part of the stomach. It produces leukocytes and antibodies, destroys old red blood cells, stores red blood cells, destroys platelets, and filters metabolites and wastes.
A type of white blood cell that helps fight infection by engulfing and killing foreign cells, removing dead cells, and stimulating other immune system cells. They are a type of phagocyte.
Macrophages
efferent lymphatic vessels
The vessels that carry filtered lymph out of a lymph node to return to the bloodstream.
A condition characterized by swollen or enlarged lymph nodes, typically as a result of an infection or illness.
Lymphadenopathy
Small, round, or oval masses, popularly called 'glands,' located all over the body, usually in groups or clusters. They remove impurities such as carbon, cancer cells, pathogens, and dead blood cells. The lymphatic tissue in the nodes produces lymphocytes and antibodies to fight infection.
Lymph Nodes
Thoracic duct
The much longer lymphatic duct that receives all of the purified lymph from the rest of the body. It empties into the left subclavian vein.
A general term for a white blood cell that defends the body by the process of phagocytosis (eating/engulfing pathogens and foreign material).
phagocyte
interstital fluid
The fluid that leaks from blood capillaries into the spaces between individual cells; this fluid is collected by the lymphatic capillaries to form lymph.
A chronic systemic autoimmune disease that occurs when the body’s immune system attacks its own healthy tissues.
Lupus