How does the immune system work to help fight disease?
gainst 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. What the Immune System Does The immune system is the body’s defense against infectious organisms and other invaders. Through a series of steps called the immune response, the immune system attacks organisms and substances that invade our systems and cause disease. The immune system is made up of a network of cells, tissues, and organs that work together to protect the body. The cells that are part of this defense system are white blood cells, or leukocytes. They come in two basic types (more on these below), which combine to seek out and destroy the organisms or substances that cause disease. Sources: http://kidshealth.org/parent/general/body_basics/immune.
Unlike your brain or your spine, both of which have a central location in the body, the immune system is more spread out. It consists of lymphoid tissue around the body, including your tonsils, some of your spleen, your bone marrow, and more. Lymphoid tissue produces lymphocytes, or specialized white blood cells that come in two varieties: T and B. T lymphocytes attack body invaders (antigens) directly and try to destroy them. B lymphocytes attach themselves to the antigens so they can produce chemicals and other elements that will help to destroy the antigen quickly. Fighting back against immune system diseases of both types can be challenging. Autoimmune diseases are sometimes the most difficult because there is no clear way how to convince the body to stop attacking itself, which is essentially what it does in those cases. With these types of immune system diseases, the patient’s symptoms must be treated, but the disease itself can not be cured. Rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclero
