Common sites of lymphadenopathy

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Swollen lymph nodes anywhere on the body are also a warning sign of a health condition that needs attention. Whether it comes from dangerous or common causes, you also need to understand this phenomenon in order to properly care for your body and feel more secure in life.

1. Nodule and its function

The lymph node is a lymphoid organization (interretinal endothelial), scattered in many different locations in the body, from visceral, abdominal to subcutaneous soft tissues. The lymph nodes play a significant role in the prevention of diseases, especially infectious diseases. When touching the lymph nodes, swelling and pain are a natural response of the body, most of which are benign but sometimes can be a warning for dangerous diseases.
1.1 What is lymphadenopathy? The lymph nodes are located in many places such as the neck, above the collarbone, under the armpits and in the groin and are usually submerged, only when they have to work hard to fight disease do they become enlarged. The lymphatic system functions like the body's immune system to destroy germs, viruses, and foreign cells when they enter the body.
Because the main function of the lymph nodes is to produce lymphocytes and antibodies against pathogens. Lymphadenopathy is a phenomenon in which small pea-sized masses appear on the body that develop scattered along the joints of the wrists, hands, ankles or feet, armpits, neck, groin, ... They are usually shaped oval or round, often with fluid inside, when pressing on the swollen lymph nodes, the patient will feel pain.

2. Common sites of swollen lymph nodes

2.1. Usually, when you see swollen lymph nodes in the groin (swollen lymph nodes in the groin), pain can be caused by a few reasons such as: genital - urinary tract infections such as Chlamydia. , syphilis .
In addition, if the patient has infected lesions (caused by scratches, abscesses, boils...) in the lower extremities, the area around the pelvic fossa, the inguinal lymph nodes are also swollen and painful. Some blood diseases also have enlarged lymph nodes such as acute leukemia. The lymph nodes are usually large, soft, and mobile, appearing in many different places on the body, but normally still have lymph nodes such as in the supraclavicular fossa, axillary, inguinal, mediastinum, and mesenteric. Accompanied by symptoms of high fever, rapid spleen enlargement, hemorrhage. In chronic lymphocytic leukemia, there are many lymph nodes but small, fast growing, gradually (after a few months) the lymph nodes will be enlarged, soft and mobile.
2.2. Swollen lymph nodes behind the ear, neck The swelling behind the ear is also quite common, the cause may be an infection of the body, tuberculosis or head and neck cancer, thyroid cancer. For children, with children with poor resistance, lymph nodes can appear naturally without disease, when the health is gradually stabilized, the swelling will stop. In the normal state, the lymph node is only a few millimeters, soft and difficult to feel. But when there is inflammation, cancer (primary lymphoma or metastatic lymph nodes), the lymph nodes will be large and may be painful, sticky, and hard.
The phenomenon of swollen lymph nodes behind the ear is an unusual sign, but many people still confuse it with acne or lipoma. Be careful because this is an early warning sign of many dangerous diseases such as:
Cancer
The lymph nodes behind the ear are raised, swelling can be a warning sign that you are having cancer in the head and neck area, especially thyroid cancer. As noted, in most people with thyroid cancer will appear lymph nodes that gradually increase in size over time. Initially, the lymph nodes can move, but later on, they become more and more attached to the ear area, when pressed, it feels painful and very hard.
Diseases in the lymphatic system
The lymphatic system includes lymphatic vessels and many lymph nodes that filter bacteria and toxins out of the body. When the lymphatic system is affected, the lymph nodes will swell and swell. This swelling of the lymph nodes can occur in the area around the neck, affecting the body's detoxification process.
Symptoms of infection
When viruses and bacteria accumulate, they can cause painful swelling, swollen lymph nodes around the neck and ears, causing sore throats, chickenpox, measles, mononucleosis (infectious disease) ... If not treated quickly, there is a high risk of complications such as mastitis. Mastitis is an infection of the mastoid bone, which is found behind the ear. If an ear infection is left untreated it leads to a more serious infection, called mastitis. These tumors can have pus-filled cyst growths, seen as lumps behind the ear.
Sebaceous cyst disease
Swollen lymph nodes in the neck and ears can also be caused by sebaceous cysts. These tumors will form in the sebaceous glands due to damage or stagnant oil production. Certain injuries such as scratches and acne can also weaken the sebaceous glands and form cysts.
2.3. Swollen lymph nodes in the armpit

The axillary lymph node can be felt quite clearly when it has emerged, the size depends on the influencing agent. Axillary lymph nodes are usually bordered, rounded or slightly elongated, hard, slightly moved when pressed, and slightly painful when pressed.
If the cause of swollen lymph nodes in the armpit is due to inflammation, it will be accompanied by symptoms such as pain, swelling in the chest area, accompanied by fatigue and fever. Benign lymph nodes have the effect of producing resistance to fight the pathogens, so they can disappear spontaneously without treatment or intervention. But in some other causes that are not due to inflammation, we need to pay special attention because it can be a warning sign for some dangerous diseases such as:
Due to the appearance of tumors in the lymph nodes or near lymph nodes. Due to leukemia-related diseases Due to Hodgkin's Lymphoma Due to melanoma Skin cancer Due to non-hodgkin lymphoma Due to breast cancer In particular, axillary lymphadenopathy can be a warning sign of cancer The breast is in an advanced stage, when cancer cells have spread to the axillary lymph nodes. This is also one of the factors that help doctors assess the stage of the disease. Some other warning signs of breast cancer that you should not be subjective are breast lumps, abnormal nipple discharge, breast shape and size change, rough skin on the tumor such as orange skin, fever, menstruation. irregular period...

3. How to distinguish benign and malignant lymph nodes

In the opinion of a specialist, patients can rely on some lymph node properties to distinguish between benign and malignant lymph nodes:
Based on size: Benign lymph nodes are small, only a few mm to less than 1cm in size. and less likely to get bigger over time. For malignant lymph nodes, the size will usually be large, increasing rapidly over time, additional lymph nodes appear in many locations. Mobility: Benign lymph nodes can be mobile when touched, not attached to surrounding organs, while malignant nodes are less mobile, difficult to touch.. Time of lymph node swelling: Benign lymph nodes usually disappears after a few days, 3-4 weeks at most. Caution should be exercised if the lymph node swelling persists and does not improve for more than 1 month because this may be a warning sign of a chronic or precancerous disease.

Comorbidities: Benign lymph nodes often appear when there is inflammation in the vicinity, lymph nodes shrink and subside when the inflammation ends. Not everyone can distinguish between benign and malignant lymph nodes and in fact the nature of the lymph nodes can vary from case to case. Therefore, as soon as there are symptoms of abnormally swollen lymph nodes for no apparent reason, it is best for the patient to go to a reputable and professional medical facility for an accurate diagnosis. Depending on the location of the lymph nodes and the clinical examination results, the doctor may order tests such as endoscopy, ultrasound of the respective areas, CT scan, cell biopsy ...
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