Lymphatic System Diseases and Disorders: The lymphatic system, like other parts of the body, is susceptible to a variety

of diseases and disorders. A number of bacteria and other infectious agents can cause inflammations of the lymph vessels (lymphangitis) or the lymph nodes (lymphadenitis). Lymphedema is a disorder wherein there is an obstruction of the lymph vessels, as caused by scar tissue or tumor cells. The obstruction can cause accumulation of fluid and protein within the affected tissue as a result tissue becomes swollen. Hodgkin's disease is a malignant tumor of the lymph nodes. The lymphatic system may also spread malignant cells from cancerous organs to healthy ones.
Lymphedema: One of the most prevalent lymphatic disorder is lymphatic insufficiency, or lymphedema which occurs due to an accumulation of lymphatic fluid in the interstitial tissue. This results in swelling in the arms, legs and sometimes in other parts of the body. The severity of this disorder varies from extremely mild complications to a disfiguring, painful and cellulite infections deep in skin. If not treated, the skin eventually becomes fibrotic (thickening of the skin and subcutaneous tissues) with loss of normal structure, functionality and mobility. The two types of lymphedema are:

Primary Lymphedema: It is an inherited condition that occurs due to impaired or missing lymphatic vessels. It affects from one to as many as four limbs and even other body parts, including internal organs. It can exhibit at birth, develop with the onset of puberty or occur in adulthood, with no apparent causes. Secondary Lymphedema: The disorder is basically acquired regional lymphatic insufficiency which occurs due to any trauma, infection or surgery that disrupts the lymphatic vessels or results in the loss of lymph nodes.

Filariasis: Filariasis is another lymphatic system disorder that occurs from a parasitic-caused infection causing lymphatic insufficiency, and in some cases predisposes elephantiasis (thickening of the skin and underlying tissues especially in the legs, male genitals and female breasts).

Lymphoma: Lymphoma is a medical term used for a group of cancers that originate in the lymphatic system. Lymphomas usually begin with malignant transformation of the lymphocytes (white blood cells) in lymph nodes or bunch of lymphatic tissue in organs like the stomach or intestines. Hodgkin lymphoma and non-Hodgkin lymphoma are two major categories in Lymphoma, characterized by enlargement of lymph nodes, usually present in the neck. Symptoms of lymphoma mainly include chronic fatigue, weak immune function, weight loss, night sweats and pain after drinking alcohol. Lymphadenopathy: Lymphadenopathy is a lymphatic disorder in which the lymph nodes become swollen or enlarged, due an infection. For example, swollen lymph nodes in the neck may occur as a result of a throat infection. Lymphadenitis: Also known as adenitis, Lymphadenitis is an inflammation of the lymph node due to a bacterial infection of the tissue in the node causing swelling, reddening, and tenderness of the skin overlying the lymph node. Splenomegaly: Splenomegaly or enlarged spleen is another lymphatic system disorder, that develops due to a viral infection like mononucleosis. Tonsillitis: Of many other lymphatic system disorders, tonsillitis is another disease caused by an infection of the tonsils, the lymphoid tissues present in the back of the mouth at the top of the throat. These lymphoid tissues help filter out bacteria and when infected, they become swollen and inflamed, leading to a sore throat, fever, and difficulty and pain while swallowing. HIV/AIDS and inflammatory and auto-immune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosis (SLE), scleroderma, Wegener's granulomatosis, etc., are directly impacted by the lymphatic system. Hence, lymphatic insufficiency of the internal organs and unhealthy lifestyles can eventually lead to any of the aforementioned lymphatic system diseases.