The information included here are just basic information.

1. LYMPHATIC
SYSTEM

2. WHAT IS LYMPHATIC SYSTEM?
It is a system of thin tubes that runs
throughout the body.
It is like the blood circulation – the
tubes (vessels) branch through all the
parts of the body like the arteries and
veins that carry blood.

3. WHAT IS LYMPH?
 Comes from the Latin word “lympha”,
meaning “clear water”
 It is a clear fluid that circulates around
the body tissues
 It contains a high number of
lymphocytes (white blood cells)

4.  Plasma leaks out of the capillaries to surround
and bathe the body tissues and drains into the
lymph vessels.
 The lymph, flows through the lymphatic system
to the biggest lymph vessel – the thoracic duct.
 The thoracic duct then empties back into the
blood circulation.
2 Fluid destinations of the lymph:
1. Blood stream/capillary walls
2. Intercellular spaces – lymph are collected in the open
ended lymphatic system then collected into the lymph
nodes.

5. LYMPH VESSELS
 Also called
lymphatics, carry
lymph in only
one direction –
to the heart.
 The smallest
vessels are called
lymph capillaries

6. LYMPH NODES
 Are lymph that travels through the
lymph vessels that are filtered through
masses of tissues.
They are concentrated in the following areas:
1. Neck
2. Armpit
3. Inner elbow
4. Groin

9.  These nodes range in size from
microscopic to just under 1 inch (2.5
cm) in length.
 Between 500 and 1,500 lymph nodes
are located in the body; most of them
usually occur in clusters.

10. Lymph nodes that you cannot feel in:
1. Abdomen
2. Pelvis
3. Chest
 Lymphatic System includes other body
organs.
1. Spleen
2. Thymus
3. Tonsils
4. Adenoids

11. FUNCTIONS OF LYMPHATIC SYSTEM
 Drains fluid back into the bloodstream
from the tissues
 Filters lymph
 Filters the blood
 Fights infections

12. DRAINING
FLUID INTO
THE
BLOODSTREAM
The fluid
leaks out
from the
blood
vessels into
the body
tissues
The leaked
fluid drains
into the
lymph
vessels
Fluid will be
carried
through the
lymph vessels
to the base of
the neck
From neck,
it is emptied
back into
the
bloodstream

13. FILTERING LYMPH
The lymph nodes filter the lymph fluid
as it passes through. White blood cells attack
any bacteria or viruses they find in the lymph
as it flows through the lymph nodes. If cancer
cells breakaway from a tumor, they often
become stuck in the nearest lymph nodes.
This is why doctors check lymph nodes first
when they are working out how far a cancer
has grown or spread.

14. FILTERING THE BLOOD
This is the job of the spleen. It filters the
blood to take out all the old worn out red
blood cells and then destroys them. They are
replaced by new red blood cells that are made
in the bone marrow. The spleen also filters
out bacteria, viruses and other foreign
particles found in the blood. White blood
cells in the spleen attack bacteria and viruses
as they pass through.

15. FIGHTING INFECTION
 Helping to make special white blood
cells (lymphocytes) that produce
antibodies
 Having other blood cells called
macrophages inside the lymph nodes
which swallow up and kill any foreign
particles, for example germs.

16. DISEASES THAT CAN IMPAIR
LYMPHATIC SYSTEM
 AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome): a
disorder caused by a virus (HIV) that infects
helper T cells and weakens immune response.
 ALLERGY: an abnormal immune reaction to an
otherwise harmless substance
 AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE: condition in which the
body produces antibodies that attack and destroy
the body’s own tissues.
 GRAVES’ DISEASE: disorder in which an antibody
binds to specific cells in the thyroid gland, forcing
them to secrete excess thyroid hormone.

17.  (HIV) Human Immunodeficiency Virus: which
infects helper T cells and weakens immune
responses, leading to the severe AIDS disorder
 LYMPHADENITIS: inflammation of lymph
nodes.
 LYMPHOMA: general term applied to cancers of
the lymphatic system, which include Hodgkin’s
lymphoma and non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas.
 MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS: disorder in which
immune cells attack and destroy the insulation
covering nerve fibers in the central nervous
system, causing muscular weakness and loss of
coordination.

18.  SYSTEMIC LUPUSERYTHEMATOSUS:
also called lupus or SLE disorder,
disorder in which antibodies attack the
body’s own tissues as if they were
foreign.
 TONSILITIS: infection and swelling of
the tonsils.