Central Mindanao University

COLLEGE OF NURSING
University town, Musuan, Maramag, Bukidnon

REVIEW OF THE ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY OF THE IMMUNE SYSTEM

NCM 64 Care Of Clients with Problems in inflammatory response

Clinical Instructor

DR.ELLEN GAY S. INTONG RN

College of Nursing

SUBMITTED BY: LOUIE JOHN C. ABILA

JANUARY 19,2018
I. INTRODUCTION

The immune system is designed to defend against bacteria, microbes, viruses, toxins
and parasites that invade the body.It creates a barrier that prevents bacteria and viruses
from entering your body.If a bacteria or virus does get into the body, the immune system
tries to detect and eliminate it before it can make itself at home and reproduce.If the virus
or bacteria is able to reproduce and start causing problems, your immune system is in
charge of eliminating it.
Functions as the body’s defense mechanism against invasion and allows a rapid
responses result. Any qualitative and quantitative change in the components of the
immune system can produce profound effects on the integrity of the human organisms.
Immune function is affected by a variety of factors, such as central nervous system
integrity; general physical and emotional status; medications; dietary patterns; and the
stress of illness,trauma, or surgery. which is made up of special cells, proteins, tissues,
and organs, defends people against germs and microorganisms every day. In most
cases, the immune system does a great job of keeping people healthy and preventing
infections.
But sometimes problems with the immune system can lead to illness and infection.Each
part of the immune system must be functioning properly in order to detect and differentiate the
unhealthy organisms from healthy tissues.
II. BODY
Before we even begin to look at the immune system, we need to define what we're
talking about when we refer to the immune system, which is not quite as simple as it
might first seem and is actually open to some debate. Generally speaking, though, the
body's immune system is comprised of those cells and organs that contribute to the
body's active response against foreign invaders and self-generated rogue cells --
"active" being the operative word. The immune system, then, excludes non-specific
defenses -- primarily physical barriers -- such as the skin, respiratory tract, and lining of
the intestine.
The inside of the nose, for example, is lined with mucous to capture pollen and dust and
prevent them from entering the body before they can become a problem. That is an
immune function, but since it is both passive and non-specific, it's not counted as part of
the immune system. But what about the 100 trillion beneficial bacteria that line every
square inch of a healthy intestinal tract, from your mouth to your anus?
They not only provide a passive barrier to invading pathogens, but a number of them
actively kill those same pathogens. Skin is an important part of the immune system. It
acts as a primary boundary between germs and your body. The epidermis contains
special cells called Langerhans cells that are an important early-warning component in
the immune system. The skin also secretes antibacterial substances.
These substances explain why you don't wake up in the morning with a layer of mold
growing on your skin. Your nose, mouth and eyes are also obvious entry points for
germs. Tears and mucus contain an enzyme that breaks down the cell wall of many
bacteria. Saliva is also anti-bacterial.Since the nasal passage and lungs are coated in
mucus, many germs are trapped in the mucus and swallowed.Once inside the body, a
germ deals with the immune system at a different level.
The major components of the immune system are:
 Lymph system
This essential part of the immune system consists of a structure of lymphatic vessels
which carry lymph throughout the body, the fluid which comprises white blood cells. The
main objective of the lymphatic system is to help the body discard toxins. The major
parts of the lymphatic system are the thymus and the bone marrow.The lymph system is
most familiar to people.
Fluids ooze into the lymph system and gets pushed by normal body and muscle motion
to the lymph nodes.Lymph is a clear liquid that bathes the cells with water and
nutrients.Lymph is blood plasma; the liquid that makes up blood minus the red and white
cells.The cells also produce proteins and waste products and the lymph absorbs these
products and carries them away.
One job of the lymph system is to drain and filter fluids to detect and remove the
bacteria.Swollen lymph nodes are therefore a good indication that you have an infection
of some sort.

 Thymus
The thymus is located in your chest, between your breast bone and your heart.It is
responsible for producing a type of white blood cell called T-cells, and is especially
important in newborn babies.Without a thymus a baby's immune system collapses and
the baby will die. The thymus seems to be much less important in adults.
Located between the heart and the breast bone, the thymus’ objective is to create
T-cells. These are highly essential for babies who need the thymus working at full
strength in order to survive. An adult could live without the thymus, with the other
components of the immune system taking over its tasks.

 Spleen
Positioned in the left upper part of the abdomen, the spleen has to filter blood, searching
for foreign cells and removing useless blood cells. It also fights against bacteria and
other substances and its structure resembles that of a big lymph node. Adults can live
without this organ, but they will get sick more frequently than a person who has a
spleen.
The spleen filters the blood looking for foreign cells.The spleen is filters old red blood
cells in need of replacement.A person missing their spleen gets sick much more often
than someone with a spleen.
 Bone marrow
Bone marrow produces new blood cells, both red and white. In the case of red blood
cells the cells are fully formed in the marrow and then enter the bloodstream. In the case
of some white blood cells, the cells mature elsewhere. The bone marrow produces blood
cells from stem cells. They are called "stem cells" because they can branch off and
become many different types of cells; they are precursors to different cell types. Stem
cells change into actual, specific types of white blood cells. Charged with producing new
red and white blood cells, the bone marrow is a soft tissue within the long bones of the
spine, pelvis, legs and arms. The stem cells produced by the bone marrow have the
ability of branching off and transforming into various cell types. Comprising 4% of a
human’s body mass, bone marrow plays various roles within our bodies. The bone
marrow barrier doesn’t allow defective blood cells from departing from the marrow.

 Antibodies
Antibodies are produced by white blood cells. They are Y-shaped proteins that each
respond to a specific antigen. Each antibody has a special section that is sensitive to a
specific antigen and binds to it in some way. When an antibody binds to a toxin it’s called
an antitoxin. Produced by white blood cells, antibodies are also known as
immunoglobulins. As Y shaped proteins, they bind to different toxins, deactivating their
harmful actions. Plasma cells produce antibodies in order to pinpoint and get rid of
germs and viruses.

 Hormones
There are several hormones generated by components of the immune system. These
hormones are known generally as lymphokines. It is also known that certain hormones
in the body suppress the immune system. Steroids and corticosteroids suppress the
immune system.

 White blood cells

Also known as leukocytes, the white blood cells’ objective is to find and kill harmful
organisms. Leukocytes are stored in the bone marrow, the spleen or the thymus and
they travel within the body, monitoring germs and odd substances.Because white blood
cells are so important to the immune system, they are used as a measure of immune
system health. When you hear that someone has a "strong immune system" or a
"suppressed immune system", one way it was determined was by counting different
types of white blood cells in a blood sample. A normal white blood cell count is in the
range of 4,000 to 11,000 cells per microliter of blood.It is very rare for two individuals to
have the same set of HLA molecules, which are collectively called “tissue type”.HLA
molecules are important components of the immune response. They allow cells that
have been invaded by an infectious organism to be detected by cells of the immune
system called T-cells. White blood cells are probably the most important part of your
immune system. White blood cells are a whole collection of different cells that work
together to destroy bacteria and viruses.

III. REFERENCE
https://jonbarron.org/article/anatomy-and-physiology-immune-system-part-1
https://bodyhealthinfo.com/all-you-need-to-know-about-immune-health/the-parts-of-the-i
mmune-system-and-their-functions/