Where Are Your Lymph Nodes and What Do They Do?

                                            

Where Are Your Lymph Nodes and What Do They Do?

 

If you’re wondering which parts of your body have lymph nodes, the answer may surprise you. Did you know that there are lymph nodes in places like your nose, mouth, and throat? Lymph nodes are small masses of tissue that play an important role in your immune system by filtering your lymph fluid and capturing foreign objects before they can enter your bloodstream and trigger an immune response from your body’s white blood cells. The list below details where many of the lymph nodes in your body are located and what they do to benefit your health.

 

Introduction: What are lymph nodes?

Lymph nodes are found throughout the body. These tiny, bean-shaped organs help your immune system fight infections. Some lymph nodes can be felt under the skin in certain places, such as in the armpit or groin. Others are deeper within the body, like those near your lungs or kidneys. The spleen is also a lymph node. When they detect an infection, they produce white blood cells to attack the invader. Once the infection is gone, the lymph node goes back to its usual job of filtering out bacteria from the fluid that surrounds cells in our body. Where are lymph nodes?: They're found throughout the body including: under the skin (i.e., in the armpit or groin), around organs deep within the body (such as near your lungs or kidneys) and even inside some glands (like those on either side of your neck). Their function: To produce white blood cells when there's an infection and filter out bacteria from fluid surrounding cells in our body. A cluster of small joints in the elbow called the funny bone houses large numbers of lymph nodes for this reason - close contact with surfaces at this spot makes us vulnerable to germs so more lymph nodes have evolved there. In addition, while we often think of them as being in the groin or throat region, many lymph nodes exist in areas of the body you may not suspect. For example, tonsils house tons of lymph nodes while they're working hard fighting off invaders during colds and sore throats. Sometimes these regions become enlarged due to an increased number of these defensive cells which then lead to difficulty swallowing. However, these symptoms should go away once the sickness subsides.

 

The lymphatic system

· behind your ears

· in front of your ears

· underneath your jaw

· on top of your collarbone

· below one or both armpits · near the groin area

· near the neck

Lymph nodes produce white blood cells that fight infection. If a lymph node is swollen, it may be infected or cancerous. It's important to get this checked out by a doctor as soon as possible. There are so many ways that lymph nodes can swell up and you need to make sure they're not cancerous. A few symptoms include: enlarged glands, constant pain, redness around the gland, feeling hot all over, fever higher than 101°F (38°C), night sweats with chills, trouble breathing in air; bone pain from very slight pressure; muscle pain from light touch; weight loss when not dieting

 

Functions of the lymphatic system

In order for the lymphatic system to work properly it needs to have open channels or pathways so the fluid can flow through it. These channels are called lymph vessels and they can be found in the chest, neck, under arms, abdomen, groin area and in other parts of the body. The nodes are important because they store lymphocytes which help fight infections by releasing antibodies. There are two types of nodes:

-Thoracic nodes: These nodes can be found in your chest cavity on either side of your lungs near where your ribs meet at a bend (called costodiaphragmatic). When you cough or take a deep breath you may feel these nodes move. These nodes also help filter blood cells when they enter the thoracic cavity from the lungs. -Lymphatic nodes: These are located throughout the rest of the body in various locations. For example, there is one large lymph node that sits just below each armpit which helps filter bacteria and infection out of the arm. If this node becomes swollen or enlarged it could indicate an infection somewhere else in your body as well as a problem with immunity response. Another type of lymph node is known as a tonsil which can be found right next to each of your throat openings, behind your nose and below your jaw line around where you would chew food. As an adult these tonsils will produce white blood cells which will help protect against bacteria from entering into respiratory tract and mouth.

 

Locations of lymph nodes in the body

Lymph nodes are small, bean shaped organs that can be found throughout the body. Most of the lymph nodes are located in your upper torso in front of your lungs. These nodes are called iliac or para-aortic nodes. There are also lymph nodes in your neck, armpits, groin and legs. When an infection occurs anywhere in the body, your immune system sends white blood cells to fight it off. The white blood cells release enzymes to break down any bacteria or viruses they find and then destroy them with powerful chemicals. As they do this, these cells create a lot of toxins as a byproduct which needs to be removed from your system so it doesn't cause more harm to you. That's where the lymph nodes come in handy because they're like filters for all this junk getting dumped into them by white blood cells fighting an infection somewhere else in the body. Once they get full enough with this toxic buildup (called lymph), the node sends signals to tell other parts of the immune system to increase production and clean out any extra toxins from within itself. After the fluid is drained away, the node gets smaller and returns to its normal size. So when someone has a lot of swollen lymph nodes or large ones that have recently appeared, it means there might be something going on inside their body causing too much stress on their immune system. And depending on what type of virus/bacteria/etc is infecting them, there could be many different causes for this! For example: if someone had a bacterial infection such as tuberculosis, tonsillitis or strep throat - those types of infections will usually show up first in the tonsils and throat which would explain why there might be swollen glands in either location.

 

Swollen lymph nodes

Lymph nodes are small organs that form a network throughout the body to fight infection, disease, and other foreign substances. The lymph system has two main functions: to transport lymph fluid around the body through the vessels in which it travels; and to store lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell. The lymph nodes filter out any invading cells or harmful substances from entering your bloodstream. These nodes are located all over the body except for inside your skull, spinal cord, heart, or brain. One way to determine if you have an infection is by looking at your lymph nodes- if they are swollen or sore in any area this could be a sign of some type of infection. You can also use another test called a complete blood count (CBC) which will tell you how many different types of white blood cells there are in your body. If the number changes dramatically then it may mean that something is going on with your lymph nodes and/or immune system, which would need to be looked into further. For example, people who have cancer often develop swollen lymph nodes because cancerous cells grow very quickly and take up space. A person's lymphatic system can also become compromised as they get older, which means their body cannot properly flush away toxins so it starts to back up. When someone's immune system is not functioning properly, their lymphatic system won't either because it relies on healthy immune function to do its job.

 

When to see a doctor

If you find a lump, see a doctor immediately because this could be a sign of cancer. You should also see your doctor if you experience any redness or swelling in the affected area. Some other symptoms to watch out for are pain, fever, nausea, vomiting, weight loss, night sweats or chills. If you're experiencing one or more of these symptoms it is important to make an appointment with your doctor as soon as possible. The most common areas where lymph nodes can be found are the neck, underarms, groin, abdomen and chest. These nodes help fight off infection by producing white blood cells called lymphocytes.

 

Summary

Lymph nodes are small, bean-shaped organs that contain lymphocytes. These cells protect your body from infection by eating bacteria and other microorganisms in your blood. If you have a sore throat or cold, the lymph nodes under your chin, behind your ears, and in the front of your neck will swell up. A doctor can take a sample of these swollen nodes to find out what's causing the problem. You might be surprised to know that all adults have about 1.5 liters of lymph fluid circulating through their bodies at any given time! The only exception is babies who don't yet have functioning lymphatic systems. Instead, they absorb fluids directly into their bloodstreams. As children grow older and start to produce antibodies, they also develop functioning lymph nodes which are located near where germs enter the body (throat, nose). As an adult, there are three main areas where lymph nodes reside: those near the head and neck; those around the chest; those in the abdomen.