OVERVIEW OF THE IMMUNE SYSTEM
LYMPHATIC TISSUES AND ORGANS
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Question
[CLICK ON ANY CHOICE TO KNOW THE RIGHT ANSWER]
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it gets bigger
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it becomes more active
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it begins to shrink
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it stops working
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Detailed explanation-1: -Your thymus actually starts making T-cells before you’re born. It keeps producing T-cells and you have all the T-cells you need by the time you reach puberty. After puberty, your thymus gland slowly starts to decrease in size and is replaced by fat.
Detailed explanation-2: -Therefore, thymic involution after puberty is due to the age-related decline of DHEA, which is due to an effect of peripheral T cells, and the program of thymic involution is induced by immune activation throughout an individual’s life.
Detailed explanation-3: -A critical immune organ called the thymus shrinks rapidly with age, putting older individuals at greater risk for life-threatening infections. A new study reveals that thymus atrophy may stem from a decline in its ability to protect against DNA damage from free radicals.
Detailed explanation-4: -The thymus is a primary lymphoid organ responsible for the production of immunocompetent T cells and, with aging, it atrophies and declines in functions. Universality of thymic involution in all species possessing thymus, including human, indicates it as a long-standing evolutionary event.