Do my neck glands become enlarged when I have a sore throat?
This means that our body is fighting against an infection that has caused a sore throat. The lymphatic system is a complex anatomical structure composed of capillaries, blood and lymphatic organs, such as bone marrow, tonsils, and thymus that govern the production, maturing and destruction of white blood cells, and provide for the circulation of the lymph (fluid containing white blood cells) in the body.
What are lymph nodes?
Along the course of the lymphatic vessels are lymph nodes, which are small glands spread throughout the body and concentrated mainly in the groin area, beside the neck and armpits. They are mandated to produce white blood cells, and are the body's immune defense stations. When we have a sore throat, if you touch the lymph nodes in the neck, you realize that these are enlarged, this is the sign that our body is fighting against infection.
What are the white blood cells and what are they for?
White blood cells or leukocytes are distinguished in granulocytes, lymphocytes and monocytes, which are found in the blood in normally stable proportions. Leukocytes are of great importance for the defense of the organism: granulocytes and monocytes/macrophages have the ability to absorb, digest and therefore destroy dead cells, germs, foreign substances, and are used for the so-called phagocytes; lymphocytes are involved, instead, in specific defense mechanisms against foreign agents.
