Aids/HIV information, Symptoms, treatment

Your immune system

Your immune system is a network of chemicals, cells, tissues, and organs found throughout your body. These work together to protect you from germs. Your immune system can tell the difference between what belongs in your body and what doesn’t belong. When something that doesn’t belong gets into your body, your immune system tries to destroy it in order to keep you healthy.

 Your body has many ways of protecting itself. The first is your skin, the largest organ of your body. Your skin acts as a shield, and sweat glands in it get rid of waste. The small hairs and fluids in your body openings also protect you. Nostrils have hair and mucus (snot) to keep out germs carried in the air. The saliva (spit) in your mouth contains enzymes that can destroy germs. Your eyes are protected by eyelashes, eyelids, and tears. Your vagina (cunt), urethra (the tube you pee through), anus (asshole), and bowels (guts) are lined with mucous membranes, which protect them 

Your lymphatic system

 Your lymphatic system is like a twin to your circulatory system. Your circulatory system is made up of your heart and the blood vessels called arteries, capillaries, and veins. Instead of blood, your lymphatic vessels carry a fluid called lymph. This clear fluid helps carry germs away from your body’s cells. The germs are filtered and often destroyed through tissue called lymph nodes. There are 500 to 1,000 lymph nodes scattered through your body. Clusters of lymph nodes are found in your armpits, neck, abdomen (belly), and groin (crotch). Sometimes when you have an infection you will notice “swollen glands,” which may be sore. These are your lymph nodes responding to the unwanted germs. 

The cells of your immune system

The cells of your immune system are called white blood cells, or leukocytes. They are created in your bone marrow. Marrow is the material that fills the hollow parts inside many of your bones. Your immune system cells move throughout your body in both your bloodstream and your lymphatic system. There are several kinds of immune system cells. The white blood cells that are the most important in HIV infection are called macrophages and lymphocytes.

Macrophages (sometimes called monocytes) respond to things that don’t belong in your body, like germs, by surrounding and eating them. Macrophages can also bring germs or pieces of germs to lymph nodes to “show” to lymphocytes.

Lymphocytes are cells that live in lymph nodes. Lymphocytes can travel through your body in either your bloodstream or your lymph fluid, but at any one time about 98 per cent of all the lymphocytes in your body are found in your lymph nodes.

There are two ways your immune system can respond when faced with an infection.

T lymphocytes (T cells) are the cells involved in the Th1 response. This type of response is also called cell-mediated immunity, because your T cells coordinate or mediate the response. T cells all look alike under a microscope but they can be divided into different groups according to what they do.

Some T cells are called T4 lymphocytes (T4 cells, or CD4+ cells). T4 cells release chemicals called cytokines, which “instruct” other cells to begin your immune system’s response to anything that doesn’t belong. These are the cells most commonly infected by HIV.

 Other T cells are called T8 lymphocytes (T8 cells, or CD8+ cells). T4 cells “instruct” T8 cells to perform their role in your immune system’s response to infection. Some T8 cells can destroy cells that are infected by germs. Once an infection is under control, other T8 cells cause the immune system to return to normal.

B lymphocytes (B cells) are mostly involved in the Th2 response. This type of response is also called humoral immunity, or the antibody immune response. B cells produce proteins called antibodies. Antibodies “stick” to germs and kill them before they get a chance to infect cells.

 The Th1 response is useful when fighting off many of the infections seen in AIDS. After you become infected with HIV, your immune system’s ability to make a Th1 response generally weakens over time.

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