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The lymphatic system is part of the immune surveillance system. Blood contains fluid and cells. The fluid component, which may suspend foreign material such as bacteria and viruses, passes through blood vessel walls into the tissues, where it bathes the cells and exchanges substances with them. From here this fluid is taken up by lymphatic vessels and passed through the lymph nodes, small nodular organs located throughout the body but concentrated in certain areas such as the armpits or groins. These lymph nodes are known as glands or nodes or lymphoid tissue. If they detect something foreign passing through them they swell up. This is called lymphadenopathy or swollen glands. Usually this is local (for example an infected spot on the scalp will call lymph nodes in the neck on the same side to swell up), but when it is all over the body it is called generalized lymphadenopathy. Usually this is in response to a body-wide disease such as influenza and will go awawy once the person has recovered, but sometimes it can persist, even when there is no obvious cause of disease. This is then called persistent generalized lymphadenopathy.