Why do you have swollen lymph nodes?

This is an automatically translated article.

Lymph nodes have an important role in the body's immune system, helping to fight infections and diseases. Swollen lymph nodes are very common.

1. What is lymphadenopathy?

1.1 Lymphadenopathy Lymphadenopathy can occur at any age, however, it is more common in women.
Swollen lymph nodes is a condition in which the lymph nodes in the body become swollen. Lymph nodes play a role in fighting infection and disease in the body. When the body is infected, the body produces more immune cells. An increase in these immune cells causes the lymph nodes to swell. Infection and inflammation are the main causes of swollen lymph nodes.
In the human body, there are countless lymph nodes, but only in a few of them we can touch and feel. The size of each lymph node also varies depending on the location.
1.2. Symptoms Whether swollen lymph nodes are dangerous or not depends on the cause of the disease. Usually, when the lymph node is swollen, the patient will experience swelling and pain at the site of the swollen lymph node. Specifically:
Pain when pressing on the swollen gland More sensitive swelling The swollen lymph nodes are very large, the size of a pea or more Swollen lymph nodes are not without danger. If the cause of swollen lymph nodes is cancer growing in the lymph nodes, it also stimulates them to enlarge. In some cases, swollen lymph nodes may be related to lymphoma or non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Therefore, when seeing that the swollen lymph nodes do not disappear, even showing signs of spreading, the patient needs to go to medical facilities and hospitals to be diagnosed and treated, because it may be a sign of disease. tumor or lymphoma. Especially when the following signs appear:
Swollen lymph nodes Fever that does not go away Sweating at night Weight loss even without diet Sore throat Difficulty swallowing or breathing

2. What is the cause of swollen lymph nodes?

Infection and inflammation are common causes of swollen lymph nodes. However, it can also stem from lymphoma. Usually, from the location of the lymph node swelling will help you determine the cause of the disease.
Ear infections: Children are more susceptible to ear infections than adults. Most ear infections are caused by allergies or an upper respiratory infection. Viral infections: such as the Varicella-zoster virus, the virus that causes chickenpox and herpes zoster; Rubella , a virus that causes measles ; HIV virus, which causes AIDS; Herpes simplex, the virus that causes oral herpes, genital herpes, and herpes encephalitis; Influenza , the virus that causes influenza . Bacterial infections: Streptococcus or Strep, the bacteria that cause sore throats or tonsillitis ; Staphylococcus or staph, bacteria that cause food poisoning, toxic shock syndrome (TSS) or mastitis; Mycobacterium tuberculosis, a bacteria that causes tuberculosis... These bacteria that enter the body can cause infection. HIV/AIDS infection: weakens the body's immune system, the disease has specific symptoms, so it is difficult to treat, endangering the patient's life. Some signs indicate that a person is at risk of HIV/AIDS such as: swollen lymph nodes in the neck, armpits or groin, weakness, muscle pain and headache... Dental infection Mononucleosis is a viral disease causes a sore throat, fever, itching, jaundice, nosebleeds, and difficulty breathing. A skin infection is a fairly common cause of swollen lymph nodes and is accompanied by the following symptoms: a rash, the skin becomes red, painful or hot, and itchy.

Sore throat can be caused by a viral infection, bacterial infection, allergies, throat irritation, tonsillitis or trauma to the neck and throat. Immune system disorders are one of the common causes of swollen lymph nodes. This condition often occurs in people with autoimmune diseases such as rheumatic diseases (rheumatic diseases) and lupus. Cancer: Swollen lymph nodes due to cancer are very dangerous to the health of the patient. Cancer can metastasize, attack other parts of the body through the lymphatic vessels, causing lymph nodes to swell, such as: skin cancer, breast cancer, leukemia, lung cancer, cancer. gastric cancer, lymphoma, Hodgkin lymphoma, and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Sexually transmitted diseases: eg syphilis (lion king), gonorrhea and chlamydia . The swelling caused by this occurs most often in the groin.

3. Diagnosis

To most accurately determine the cause of swollen lymph nodes and have effective treatment, the patient needs to receive the consultation of the doctor. Currently, there are several common diagnostic methods:
Patient's medical history Physical examination Blood test Chest X-ray scan or CT scan Lymph node biopsy

If you have a need for medical examination and treatment at Vinmec, you can directly go to Vinmec Health System nationwide or contact for an appointment HERE.
MORE:
Hodgkin: Causes, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment Diagnosis of lymphoma with ultrasound Can treatment of non-Hodgkin lymphoma be delayed?