[libribook.com] Traumatic Scar Tissue Management 1st Edition

Immunity
Lymph nodes play an important part in the body’s defense against infection.
Many immune reactions occur in the lymph nodes. Swelling might occur even if
the infection is trivial or not apparent.
The lymphatic system aids the immune system in destroying pathogens and
filtering waste so that the lymph can be safely returned to the circulatory system.
Lymphocytes – the main cell type found in lymph – constitute the three types of
WBCs: NK (natural killer), T and B cells. Lymphocytes are a part of the immune
system, directly attacking foreign bodies with T cells and macrophages and
indirectly with B cell that produce antibodies (Zuther 2011). Antibodies
produced in lymph nodes travel in the lymph to the bloodstream for distribution
in the body. Lymphocytes in the nodes and the spleen attack foreign invaders in
the system.
In tissues affected by lymphedema, the lymph is unable to drain properly.
Instead, the protein-rich lymph becomes stagnant within these swollen tissues.
When bacteria enter this fluid through a break in the skin, they thrive on this
protein-rich fluid. This is why lymphedema-affected tissues are prone to
infections.
Lymphadenitis is an infection and inflammation of one or more of the lymph
nodes and usually results from an infection that begins near a lymph node. Often
caused by Staphylococcus aureus bacteria, this condition affects the nodes in the
neck, groin and armpit. It sometimes strikes individuals who have had coronary
artery bypasses using a saphenous vein from the leg: the removal of this vein is
accompanied by removal of related structures of the lymphatic system, lowering
immunity to infection.