Before talking about the role of the cecum in the human body, it is necessary to clarify what it is. So, the cecum is considered the primary part of the colon, represented by a blind bag-shaped area, the length of which varies in the region of 3-8 cm. It has a cylindrical, less often - conical shape. A perfectly logical question arises: where is the cecum located? Here it is necessary to clarify that its posterior wall is tightly attached to the muscles of the abdominal cavity (large lumbar and iliac muscles), but the front wall, in turn, is adjacent to the anterior abdominal surface. There is only one conclusion: the cecum actively contributes to digestive processes.
If we talk about the appearance of this kind of process, it should be mentioned that the cecum is surrounded on all sides by the peritoneum and contains a worm-shaped element (appendix), which is an important component of immune defense. A similar “element” in most clinical pictures is located in the right iliac fossa, but can also significantly shift into the pelvic cavity. For the most part, the appendix contains a mesentery, combining it with the plane of the cecum and with the surface of the last ileum, and its cavity is abundantly filled with lymphoid tissue, which is extremely in demand for immunity.
It should be noted that with age, the cecum significantly changes its appearance. So, in older people it is elongated and has weakened walls, while in young people everything is fine, and this “process” is characterized by smaller sizes and thickened walls. In addition, like the colon, the cecum contains taenia and haustra, where the latter also expose the age-related changes in the body, since they are more clearly detected in the young body than in the elderly.
It is important to note that the cecum in its histological structure is no different from the wall of the colon, and its mucosa forms small folds, in particular, two valve-shaped ones with a predominance of muscle fibers, and one single. In addition, the Liberkun glands and goblet cells dominate in the mucous membrane , and under it is tunica submucosa, which is represented by loose connective tissue, consisting of fatty cell structures and smooth muscle fibers.
If we talk about the appointment of the cecum, it is necessary to clarify that it is directly involved in the digestion process. Define more specifically the function of the cecum.
As you know, the main digestion and further absorption of the split elements prevails directly in the small intestine, and in the blind enzymatic digestion of food continues, but the saturation of such processes is not so significant.
It has already been scientifically proven that about 3% of carbohydrates and proteins are digested and absorbed in the colon, and the cecum is solely responsible for the absorption of fluid released into the small intestine during direct digestion. The liquid intestinal contents in the ascending and cecum thickens, and in the transverse colon, fecal diffraction acquires a denser consistency, modifying in the distal colon into denser ones. If we talk about its indispensability, then it is necessary to focus on the fact that the cecum does not play a significant role in the human body, but its element is indispensable in the body - the appendix, whose lymphoid follicles are directly involved in protective processes. No wonder many medical sources report that the appendix is a kind of reserve of the immune system.
It is important to recall that the cecum, even though not of its insignificant dimensions, is susceptible to pathological processes, which often entail serious diseases.