Transcription
Hey guys, how are you doing today? I'm so excited because we're gonna talk lymph. Now, so let's get started.
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So, lymph, what does that mean? Lymph comes from the ancient Greek word lympha. It was a Greek goddess of fresh water. Gotta love history, man. So the moral of the story is, like fresh water, lymph is also colorless most of the time.
In my last two videos, as you know, we have talked about the lymphatic system as well as the anatomy of the lymph node. So don't forget to watch these videos. So here is a quick review: heart, arteries, capillary bed. Some fluid is lost here in the interstitial due to during exchange with the cell, and this fluid is gonna be picked up by a lymph capillaries or lymph plexus, afferent lymph node, efferent lymph trunk, then lymph ducts, then back to the veins.
So the lymphatic system returns the fluid lost from capillaries during the exchange, return it back. Lymph is the fluid circulating through the lymphatic system. It's formed when the interstitial fluid was gathered by lymphatic plexus. It comes dirty to the lymph node, why? Because it has pathogens, saliva, debris, etc., and the lymph node will cleanse it. It comes clean to the venous system. Beautiful.
Lymph is clear, lymph is colorless, except for chyle, which is milky. I've told you about chyle in my previous video on the lymphatic system, so don't forget to watch it. I'll leave the link down below. Okay, it's similar in consistency to plasma. Like father, like son. Lymph comes from the plasma because it was in the capillaries, then lost in the interstitial, then the lymphatics picked that fluid. And as I've told you before, any fluid in your body comes from the plasma. Your precious tears, your mucus, your saliva, etc., etcetera, etcetera, all come from the plasma.
Lymph moves by peristalsis, thanks to muscle contraction and arterialization. Quick review on chyle. So you eat a fatty meal, goes to the intestine, in the small bowel, here you have the villi of the small bowel, and here is the lacteal, which is a lymphatic vessel, and we absorb fat. We package the fat into chylomicrons, containing lipid droplets in the center, surrounded by proteins. They go to the interstitial between the cells, lymph capillaries, lymph vessels, lymph nodes, all the way back to the big veins.
Lymph and chyle are a little different. Lymph is all over the place. Chyle is only in the gut. Lymph is clear. Chyle is opaque. Lymph is colorless. Chyle is milky. It has chylomicrons. Milky because lacto, lactase, it means milk.
So what's in the lymph physiologically? You have fluid loss from the capillaries, absolutely. Pathogens, yep. Cells of the lymphatic system, cell products such as hormones, cell debris, and waste products. In the gut, you will add chylomicrons, fat droplets surrounded by proteins. Pathologically, metastases, especially carcinoma, because carcinomas love the lymph, while sarcomas love the blood. Big difference. Also infection. So if you have like any major infection, I've told you that pathogens are included, but this is also pathological.
If the hydrostatic pressure increased in the lymphatics, lymph will leave from the lymphatics and back to the interstitial. This is called edema, and since this is lymph, it's called lymphedema. Is lymphedema pitting or non-pitting? The answer is non-pitting. Okay, while pitting edema is stuff like cirrhotic, nephrotic, and CHF, but lymphedema is non-pitting edema.
This brings us to the end of the video, and we have the question of the day: What are the causes of lymphedema? Try to mention at least six. The answer to this question is on my Facebook page. Thank you so much for watching. Don't forget to subscribe, and until next time, be safe, stay happy, and study hard. This is Medicos is Perfection Alice.