Swollen Lymph Nodes (cont.)
What are the symptoms of swollen lymph nodes?
Symptoms of swollen lymph nodes vary widely. A person could be completely free of
symptoms (asymptomatic) and only found when they are noted by a doctor during a
general physical examination.
Sometimes, swollen lymph nodes can be extremely tender, painful, and
disfiguring.
More importantly, other symptoms related to an
underlying disease that accompany the lymph node swelling may be more
significant and clinically relevant than the lymph node swelling alone. For
instance, symptoms such as fever, night sweats, weight loss, or evidence of
local infections (toothache, sore throat) may provide valuable clues in determining the cause of lymph node
swelling.
How are swollen lymph nodes diagnosed?
Swollen lymph nodes closer to the surface of the body
are generally diagnosed by a doctor's examination and feeling for areas known to
have coalescence of lymph nodes, for example, swollen lymph nodes under the arms
(axillary lymph nodes), swollen lymph nodes in the sides of the neck (cervical
lymph nodes), or
swollen lymph nodes in the groin (inguinal lymph nodes). These swollen lymph
nodes can be seen and felt easily.
Other times, deeper lymph nodes could be seen on imaging
studies, such as CT scan (computed tomography), of different parts of the body.
Tonsils in the back of the throat are also lymph nodes, and they are the most
visible ones in the body.
Diagnosing the cause of swollen lymph nodes may be challenging at times. The
most important component of evaluating a swollen lymph node is a thorough
medical history and a
complete physical examination by a doctor. The doctor may ask you about symptoms such as sore throat, fever and chills, fatigue, weight loss,
a complete list of medications, sexual activity, vaccination
history, recent travels, the patient's own and his/her family's previous history of cancers
if any, and so forth.
A group of lymph nodes in a particular area of the body
react to disturbances in that general region. If there is a specific infection
in the region of the swollen lymph nodes, that may be the most likely cause of
swelling. For instance, an infection of the leg or some
sexually transmitted diseases can
cause swelling of the lymph nodes in the groin area.
Physicians usually examine the lymph nodes by feeling them and characterize
them based upon what the lymph nodes feel like. They could be characterized, for
example, as:
- large or small,
- tender or non-tender,
- fixed or mobile,
- hard or soft,
or
- firm or rubbery.
These characteristics can be useful in suggesting the cause
of the lymph node swelling. For example, a hard, nontender, nonmoveable lymph
node may be more characteristic of a cancer spread to that node. On the other
hand, a soft, tender, moveable lymph node could more likely represent an
infection.
If the enlarged lymph nodes are suspected to be related to a cancer, then a
biopsy of the lymph node may determine the cancer type. For example, a swollen
lymph node around the collar bone (supraclavicular lymph node), may signify lung
cancer in a person who may have other clinical clues suggestive of lung cancer.
Next: How are swollen lymph nodes treated? »
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