Body fluids are all liquid components of the body. This includes blood, saliva or urine, but also body fluids such as pus or wound water, which are produced only under special circumstances.
What are body fluids?
Body fluid is a general term for all types of fluid that are produced directly by the body and have their own function within it. Some body fluids, such as blood or sperm fluid, are always present and are produced throughout life, or at least for many years. For other body fluids, an event triggers production, as with wound fluid. Body fluids are not pathological per se, although diseases can be detected using various fluids. Most body fluids are designed by nature to transport substances in the body and to perform cleansing functions. Therefore, they always consist of several components that have their own function within the respective body fluid.
Anatomy and structure
A body fluid initially consists in large parts of pure water. Therefore, in order for there to be enough body fluid, a person must make sure to drink enough at all times. In the body fluid, depending on its function, there are partly dissolved substances that are to be transported within the body, as well as the body’s own cells that enable the body fluid to function. In the case of blood, for example, these are the various blood cells such as red and white blood cells as well as other substances such as fibrin. The situation is different with body fluids, which only occur at all under certain conditions. In the case of wound water, for example, it is a flushing of the body, so that the body fluid contains at most germs, blood residues and other substances that must not be present in the wound. The wound water has only the meaning for the body to transport these substances to the outside, a liquid is best suited for this. Body fluids that are only used temporarily are usually kept very simple. Other body fluids such as blood, which can be counted as an organ at the same time, which permanently hold a vital function, are much more complex and consist of many different components with their own functions and tasks.
Function and tasks
One of the main functions of body fluids is to transport substances between organs. In the case of blood, this involves dissolved substances that are previously processed by the body and transported through the blood to the right place. Oxygen transport also occurs in part through the blood. Important in this context is not only the transport of valuable substances to the right place, but also the removal of waste substances. Appropriate organs can then excrete these in the form of other body fluids. The constant renewal of their components is also a central task for body fluids if they perform a function in the body on a permanent basis. Cleaning individual organs or wounds can be another important task, depending on the type of body fluid. Permanent body fluids perform this task by removing waste products. In the case of body fluids that are formed only under certain circumstances, this is often their only task. They are produced only as long as they are needed, after which the body stops producing them again. These body fluids protect the body from diseases as needed and support healing processes. A special form is amniotic fluid, which is intended to store the metabolic waste products of the unborn baby and to protect it. This body fluid is also produced only as needed during pregnancy and is then completely excreted from the body when the bladder ruptures and the baby is born. Just like sperm fluid in men, it naturally occurs only in women, making it a sex-dependent form of body fluid.
Diseases
Diseases related to body fluid occur primarily in fluids that are also organs. In the case of blood, for example, the range of possible diseases extends from cancer to malfunctions of individual blood cells to congenital hereditary diseases such as hemophilia. The more components a body fluid has, the more diseases can occur.Typically, they do not affect the body fluid itself, but the body’s own cells that are found in it and on which the function of the body fluid depends. While blood can develop quite a few diseases of its own due to its high complexity, other body fluids have only a few possibilities. In the case of sperm fluid, for example, deformation, inactivity, or insufficient quality of sperm tend to be more prominent. By inadequate or improper nutrition, man can promote diseases and problems of body fluids. Particularly dangerous is an insufficient intake of fluids. If a person does not drink enough or does not pay attention to drinks that hydrate rather than dehydrate (for example, coffee or alcohol), this has a negative effect on the body’s fluid balance and thus on all body fluids. These no longer get enough water for replenishment and are limited in their ability to function. Particularities arise in the case of body fluids that are only present under certain circumstances. Pregnant women, for example, may have too much or too little amniotic fluid or, in very rare cases, this may be “poisoned” by waste products over time or during birth. Wound fluid or pus can accumulate in difficult or internal wounds and lead to dangerous infections, as they in particular are full of germs that need to be removed. However, with the help of modern medicine and aftercare following more serious procedures, such risks can now be well minimized.
Typical and common blood disorders
- Acute lymphoblastic leukemia
- Acute myeloid leukemia
- Chronic lymphocytic leukemia
- Chronic myeloid leukemia
- Blood poisoning
