What is the Langerhans cell?

Langerhans cell is a specific type of white blood cells. Langerhans cells, which are mainly found in the epidermis, the outer layer of the skin, as well as in the lymph nodes, are an important element of the immune system. They are classified as dendritic cells because they grow projections called dendrites in development. Langerhans cells work on prevention of infections and help run immune reactions by interaction with T-cells. The Langerhans cell, as well as other forms of white blood cells, is produced in the bone marrow.

Under normal conditions, Langerhans cells occur in small numbers, focused mainly on the skin and respond to bacteria and other substances that occur on the skin surface and can cause infection. In some cases, however, the body produces too much of this specialized cell, leading to a rare state called Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH). This leads to a number of systematic symptoms and is often difficult to diagnose.

Symptoms and severity of Langer diseaseHans cells are determined by where the Langerhans cell proliferation occurs. If the cells multiply and remain mostly in the skin, the result is often located on the skin. This disorder occurs most often in younger children, so it can manifest itself as diaper rashes or other types of rashes that do not respond to normal treatment. When cells migrate to other parts of the body, the symptoms are much more widespread and serious and the disorder can be life -threatening. Determination of the presence of Langerhans cell in large organs can also be difficult, often requiring biopsy and other complex diagnostic techniques.

is classified as histiocytosis, a term used to describe a disease that is the result of overproduction of white blood cells. Other histiocytes include leukemia and lymphoma. While some doctors consider LCH a cancer -type disease, because the result of the abnormal proliferation of the cell, others consider it an autoimmune disorder. It occurs most often in children under 10 years of age. Therapydiffer depending on the condition of the individual patient, symptoms and age and may include treatment of steroids, chemotherapy and radiation.

Another form of lch, lung lch, occurs in adult smokers rather than in children. In this failure, the lung cells of Langerhans accumulate in the lungs, fill the air space and other small open areas in the lung tissue. Steroid treatment is sometimes used, but the most effective treatment of lung LCH is to stop smoking. In advanced cases, lung transplantation may be required.