The immune system: structure. How does the immune system work?

Our immune system is fully functional when we are 18-20 years old. The body produces immune memory cells that store information about the viruses we have come into contact with. How is our immune system built? Check how the immune system works and what tasks it faces.

The immune system (immune system) cares about the safety of our body. After the first year of life, each of us has to work to build our own immunity. And we do it, incl. vaccinating against a specific disease or ... getting sick. Once our body is infected by a pathogenic microorganism (e.g. virus, bacteria), the so-called immune memory cells. When this microorganism attacks us again - it will be recognized and destroyed by the immune intelligence.

The immune system: structure

Nature has protected us against diseases, creating strong protective barriers. If the first fails, there is also a second and a third.

• The skin and mucous membranes. The acidic reaction of the skin, stomach, and in women - also the vagina, makes life difficult for pathogenic germs. They do not like acidic environments and they often die in it. Tears, saliva and urine also have bactericidal properties. In turn, the mucous membranes lining the digestive tract as well as the respiratory and genitourinary tracts produce mucus, the task of which is to immobilize intruders, i.e. viruses, bacteria, fungi and protozoa.
• Eating cells. When microbes penetrate into tissues, cells called phagocytes accumulate in the lymph nodes begin their activity. Infected tissues produce a special substance that attracts them. After reaching its destination, the phagocyte surrounds the intruder, absorbs it and digests it. In this way, it also cleans up dead cells of the mucous membranes and the viruses, bacteria, fungi and protozoa trapped in them. Phagocytes also release substances called pyrogens that cause your body temperature to rise. Fever causes many germs to die.
• Lymphocytes and antibodies. When pathogenic germs manage to establish themselves in the body, they can cause inflammation. This is when white blood cells called lymphocytes become active. There are several types of them. Once the intruder is recognized, the B lymphocytes transform and begin to produce specific antibodies to kill the virus, bacteria, fungus or protozoa. Antibodies are a type of protein. They are able to neutralize hostile cells or prepare them so that they become easy prey for phagocytes.

Important

To check whether the cause of our health problems is the weak immunity of the body, we should see an immunologist. A specialist will examine us and, if necessary, order additional analyzes. Blood tests are performed to make a diagnosis. The quantity and quality of immune cells are checked in the samples taken. In addition, the immune system is evaluated functionally. In the laboratory, immune cells are grown and their behavior is monitored during work - that is, when they deal with the intruder responsible for infections. Then they show what they are really capable of.

How does the immune system work?

• The immune system is not located in one place in our body. Firstly, so that it can react faster and in an appropriate manner to various types of threats. Second - to make it harder to destroy. Its cells are scattered throughout the body. They are found in the thymus, spleen, lymph nodes, tonsils, intestines, bone marrow. These organs produce different types of white blood cells. Some are eaten by pathogenic germs, others poison them, and others produce antibodies that kill them.
• White blood cells travel throughout the body along with the blood and lymph (lymph). Lymph flows in blood-like vessels that dilate in many places to form lymph nodes. Lymphatic tissue clusters are also the palatine tonsils, the appendix of the large intestine and the Peyer's patches in the small intestine. In order not to weaken the immune system, the tonsils and appendix were no longer removed prophylactically.
• The organism can take care of immunity itself. When the thymus, in which lymphocytes mature and differentiate, decreases and disappears with age, its tasks are gradually taken over by the bone marrow and lymph nodes.
• Some lymphocytes (T lymphocytes) recognize their own cancer cells as foreign. Then they come into direct contact with them and destroy them without antibodies. This protects us from the development of cancer. This is important because about 4,000 are created in our body daily. such cells!
• Unfortunately, they also treat cells of transplanted organs, e.g. kidneys, as foreign lymphocytes. In the case of transplants, this behavior is fatal. T lymphocytes destroy the cells of the transplanted organ and the transplant, which was supposed to save life, is rejected by the body. Therefore, the attempts of T lymphocytes are inhibited by administering high doses of specialized drugs to transplant patients.
• Sometimes, immune responses can also be our nightmare. This is the case of the so-called autoimmune diseases (e.g. lupus), when the immune system for some reason finds the body's own tissues hostile and destroys them.
• Allergies are another example of undesirable effects of the immune system. It goes crazy, recognizing the enemy in neutral substances, e.g. pollen. When they enter the body, the defense machinery starts, causing unpleasant symptoms of allergy, including runny nose, tearing, shortness of breath.

Weakened immune system

The immune system is fully functional when we are 18-20 years old. Unfortunately, the body's defenses decline with age. This is probably because the thymus, the organ in which the T cells important for our immunity mature, gradually shrinks and then disappears.

We are also weakening our defensive army. The enemies of immunity are stress, haste, noise, fatigue and overwork, the abuse of antibiotics, hormonal drugs, steroids, and drug use. Stimulants such as alcohol, cigarettes, and coffee are also unfavorable.

The first symptom of a weakened immune system is susceptibility to infections. For example, if we often catch a cold and find it difficult to deal with the disease, our immunity is probably too weak. It may also be evidenced by frequent urinary tract infections, skin diseases, sleep disorders, menstrual cycle in women, longer wound healing or recurrent herpes. In addition, we should be concerned about the condition of our skin: its excessive roughness and gray shade, brittle nails, hair loss. With a decrease in immunity, we can also have concentration disorders, be weakened and tire faster.

Important

The easiest way to fight for a healthy immune system is proper nutrition. Ingredients contained in food support tissue renewal and provide substances needed to fight microbes. Therefore, you should eat as much raw fruit and vegetables as possible, rich in vitamins and minerals. The health of the immune system will also benefit from reducing the consumption of fat and sugar.
There is no universal diet for everyone - if only because the need for calories decreases with age, and the need for nutrients increases. A healthy diet is one that provides the body (adequately to its age) with an appropriate portion of the necessary ingredients.

It must be remembered that as much as 60-70% of the immune system is located in the intestines. Its essential component is the intestinal barrier, which is composed of the intestinal epithelium, intestinal microbiota and GALT, i.e. the lymphoid tissue of the digestive tract. Each of these elements is of great importance for immunity.

Unfortunately, we often don't care about our intestinal barrier. It is damaged by an inadequate diet (highly processed, elimination or without fiber), chronic stress, drug abuse (antibiotics, painkillers, "for heartburn"), alcohol and other stimulants.

Scientists have proven that the following probiotic strains specialize in supporting the intestinal barrier: Bifidobacterium bifidum W23, Bifidobacterium lactis W51, Bifidobacterium lactis W52, Lactobacillus acidophilus W37, Lactobacillus brevis W63, Lactobacillus casei W56, and Lactus Lactus in Sanprobi Barrier). These strains retain all the components of the intestinal barrier.