Table of contents:
- What are lymph nodes?
- Lymph node function
- 1. Maintain fluid balance in the body
- 2. Maintain endurance and fight infection
- 3. Absorb fat and fat-soluble nutrients
- Diseases that often attack the lymph nodes
You may have often heard the term lymph nodes or commonly abbreviated as KGB. However, do you know where the KGB is and how it functions in the human body? It is also important for us to know what diseases can interfere and attack the system because these glands play a very important role for health. Come on. learn the KGB sundries in this full review below.
What are lymph nodes?
Lymph nodes are round masses that are enclosed by a connective tissue capsule. The job of the lymph nodes is to filter the lymph fluid (lymph) that circulates throughout the body through the lymph vessels, just as blood circulates in our body through blood vessels.
There are about 600 lymph nodes in the body, but the number of glands that can be felt or touched by hand is only a few. Among them are at the bottom of the jaw, neck, armpits, and groin.
The size of the KGB varies, from as small as the tip of a needle to the size of a ripe red bean.
Lymph node function
KGB is very important to fight disease and maintain endurance. For more details, consider the three main functions of the KGB for your health below.
1. Maintain fluid balance in the body
Lymph fluid is obtained from various kinds of fluids in the body's tissues. After that, the liquid will be filtered by the KGB. If there is excess fluid or fluid containing harmful organisms, KGB will return it to the bloodstream so that it is excreted by the body through the excretion system. That way, the fluid levels in your body will always be balanced.
2. Maintain endurance and fight infection
In the KGB, there is one type of white blood cell, namely lymphocytes. Lymphocytes are useful for detecting and attacking harmful organisms that cause infection in the body. For example viruses, bacteria, germs, damaged cells, to cancer cells.
The KGB has a special system to "remember" and distinguish which organisms are harmful to the body and which are safe. That's why KGB is very important to prevent you from getting sick.
3. Absorb fat and fat-soluble nutrients
KGB in the intestine can help your digestive system to absorb fat and other fat-soluble nutrients. The reason is, fat and fat-soluble nutrients cannot be directly absorbed by the capillaries like other nutrients such as sugar and protein.
Diseases that often attack the lymph nodes
KGB can fail or damage if there is inflammation, swelling, blockage, infection, or the growth of cancer cells in either your vessels, glands, or lymph tissue. The following are the types of diseases that often attack KGB.
- If your lymph system becomes blocked, you can develop lymphedema (lymphatic obstruction). Symptoms of lymphedema include swelling in certain parts of the body, but it is usually painless.
- If there is an infection or lymphadenitis in the lymph nodes, you can experience swollen lymph nodes. Children are usually more susceptible to this because their immune systems are still developing. The causes of swelling of lymph nodes include strep throat, viral infections, ear infections, dental infections, bacterial infections, and HIV / AIDS infection.
- You can develop lymph node cancer if there are cancer cells in your body which are then transported by the lymph nodes. Your lymph nodes may also be the forerunner of the cancer itself, but cases of this so-called lymphoma cancer are rare.
