Function of the Immune System

The function of the immune system is to protect your body from infections and illnesses. Your immune system works to identify pathogens and tumor cells that could cause disease and to eliminate them from your system. Your body’s immune system has an incredibly difficult task in doing this because these pathogens and bad cells are sneaky: they can redesign themselves and adapt to changes your body makes to get rid of them.

The function of the immune system works through different levels of defense. Your skin is the first level, and its job is to prevent bacteria and viruses from entering your body. Good hygiene and cleanliness, especially washing your hands often, can help in this first line of defense. Eating right and getting enough Vitamin A also helps your skin repel germs and bacteria. These first responses are sometimes called innate responses because they are inborn and non-specific, reacting to general pathogens.

Humans have an extra layer of protection called the adaptive immune system, meaning when your body's cells fight a specific pathogen, they also try to update the response technology should the same pathogen try to gain entry to your system again. This learning curve helps your body fight pathogens better and quicker by discovering more about them as it fights them. This improved recognition of the pathogen is called immunological memory.

Your lungs help as a function of the immune system because if a pathogen makes it as far as your lungs, they can help expel it by coughing and sneezing to remove it from your body. Your intestines can help as well by ridding your body of irritating pathogens that gain entry to your intestines by eliminating them as waste from your system.

Inflammation is one of the first responses to act as a function of the immune system, making it known that a pathogen has entered your system and needs to be eradicated. Inflammation is an effort by the body to remove the pathogen and begin healing the affected area. The symptoms of inflammation, including redness and swelling in the affected area, are due to an increased release of blood into the surrounding tissues to help fight the infection.

Major lymphocytes, the B cells and T cells that are found in bone marrow, play an important role in the function of the immune system because they have the ability to kill the bad pathogens. Both B cells and T cells can recognize and target the damaging pathogens.

The human body is a most complex organism, and it has many factors it must successfully employ to remain a live and vital being. The function of the immune system is one of those factors it needs to recognize and fight off harmful viruses and diseases, which otherwise could destroy it. Viruses and bacteria constantly mutate, and your body’s immune system must remain constantly vigilant to protect you and provide you with optimum health.

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