The immune system is designed to protect the body against invading agents and keep it in balance. For example, in a war, there must be barriers, soldiers and an action plan to protect a country from invasion. The immune system acts in a similar way, and to do so, it relies on defense cells, immunological memory and much more.
Each of the elements has specific functions to protect our body and prevent invasions. Remember that the body is constantly faced with them. Thus, tears, saliva, skin, mucous membranes and many other mechanisms function as physical barriers. It is as if they were part of our war apparatus.
Defense cells
The defense cells that initiate the fight are macrophages. They must capture foreign elements in the body and warn the other elements of the immune system to remain alert. It is as if macrophages were the radio transmitters used by soldiers in war.
The next task is carried out by T and B lymphocytes. T lymphocytes must identify who the invader is and notify B lymphocytes, which are responsible for producing antibodies adapted to the profile of the foreign element. It is as if antibodies were specific weapons to destroy infectious agents.
For this to work properly, there are also defense cells. Their function is to memorize the invader’s “face” and the mechanism to destroy it. Thus, if the attack is repeated, the immune response will be fast and efficient.
Tonsils
Between the end of the mouth, the beginning of the nose and the throat, there are the tonsils. They function as a kind of soldier that protects the region against infectious agents , such as bacteria. They act by recognizing and attacking invaders.
Spleen
Blood also has a kind of soldier to ensure its integrity. This is the spleen, which measures about 13 centimeters and must filter foreign particles from the bloodstream, like a sponge. In addition, it acts in the production of antibodies and in the blood reserve, in case of internal bleeding.
How important is the immune system?
After understanding what the immune system is and what elements are part of it, it is natural to wonder about the importance of this defense. So, know that, as mentioned, our body is constantly susceptible to invasions.
Protection against intrusions
To better understand, imagine that the human body is a country with a privileged location and full of riches. Then, there are several invaders willing to take advantage of these elements. By doing so, other systems can be compromised, such as the respiratory and digestive systems.
Symptoms vary depending on the action of the agent and the affected area, but can include fatigue , body aches, bone loss, intestinal complications, nausea, mental confusion, and more. In more serious cases, you may need to be hospitalized and, if you continue to be weakened, you may die.
Prevention against opportunistic diseases
Does this sound hyperbolic? Try to count how often you touch public objects during the day. This includes doorknobs, light switches, public transportation areas, elevator buttons, etc. And then imagine the droplets dispensed with each conversation, cough, sneeze, or laugh made by those who walk past you.
All this lets loose millions of microorganisms, among them the flu virus, bacteria, and more that trigger diarrhea, nail fungus, and many other diseases. Of course, amid such a vast number of invaders, with no immune system, your body is extremely susceptible to becoming infected with more or less serious diseases.
For this reason, before there was adequate treatment for AIDS, the virus caused countless deaths in those affected. After all, the disease attacks the immune system and the body becomes weakened and more exposed to any disease that may affect it.
How does the immune system work?
You already understand the importance of the immune system for the body’s balance. Now, learn more about how it works. To begin with, we can say that the immune system works by perceiving threats. So, the beginning of the battle occurs in the reaction and attempt to neutralize invaders.
To do this, lymphocytes need to multiply and increase in size. This is why some parts of the body can become inflamed sporadically. This is necessary for defense cells to awaken and begin the repair process. For example, infections in the throat, ear or sinusitis can cause swelling, pain and fever in the neck region, causing what is known as inguinal lymph nodes.
If the infectious agent is new, it may take two to four weeks for the body to develop a defense mechanism. However, after this process, the inflammation should improve.
Action of the immune response
After the immune system performs the aforementioned procedures, the enemies and their attack methods become known. Therefore, if they try to invade our organism again, the defense cells quickly neutralize the invasion. To understand better, learn about the subdivisions of the immune response.
Innate immunity
These are the natural defenses of individuals, acquired from birth and development. Thus, they function as barriers against invaders and enhance the action of the adaptive immune response. This is the case with tears, cilia, platelets, sweat, mucus, saliva, gastric juice and membranes.
Adaptive immunity
Adaptive immunity can also be called acquired immunity. As the name suggests, it defends the organism after it has had contact with the invader. That is, the body begins to identify it through cellular memory and, if the attack is repeated, the individual already has immunity.
Vaccines
Adaptive immunity often occurs through the action of a vaccine. This is because it contains antigens, which are substances from a pathogen. So, when a person is vaccinated, the defense cells are stimulated for protection, which creates immunological memory.
Therefore, if the pathogen attacks the body again, this time, naturally, the immune system is better prepared. In this way, invaders such as coronavirus, flu, yellow fever and others can be fought before they even establish themselves in the body.
Serum
Another example of artificially induced adaptive immunity is serum. It is composed of the antibodies needed to combat a specific antigen that has already attacked the body. This activates the immune system, which can help in rapid healing.