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Written By: Editorial Team | Published : January 10, 2019 4:50 PM IST
Lymph nodes swell up when they come in contact with any infection or virus. @shutterstock
Located underneath the skin, lymph nodes are small glands that store white blood cells, which are required to fight away the invading infections. You can find them in several places across your body such as in your armpits, under your jaw, on either side of your neck or groin and above your collarbone. In response to an infection or illness such as common cold, these lymph nodes tend to collect debris, bacteria or dead cells which causes them to swell up and is painful to touch. Lymph nodes help to cleanse the lymph of such organisms and move around in your lymphatic system in form of clear fluid. The swelling generally goes away in a few days but if you don't get it treated it may take up several weeks to return to its original size. While there are several reasons that can cause the lymph nodes to swell up, such as the cold or flu, ear infection, sinus infection, skin infections, an infected tooth, etc. seeing a doctor is important as it can help uncover other serious underlying culprits you cannot afford to ignore.
Mononucleosis:
Known as "mono or kissing disease", mononucleosis is a viral infection caused by the Epstein- Barr virus and is commonly found in teenager and young adults. It manifests in form of the severe throat, feeling of fatigue, weakness, aches, dizziness, enlarged spleen and a swollen gland in the neck. Antibiotics are not successful in treating this condition. Individuals are majorly advised to hydrate themselves with plenty of liquids and bed rest. Other than this, infections such as tonsillitis or a strep infection are treated with corticosteroids and antibiotics.
Hodgkin's Lymphoma:
Hodgkin's Lymphoma is cancer that affects the lymphatic system. It's a type of cancer which is curable if prompt actions are taken in the initial stages. If it goes untreated, it limits the body's capability to fight infections. It develops on your body in form of a painless lymph node, maybe in your neck, armpits or groin. As it spreads it attacks the spleen, liver, bone marrow and other organs gradually. It is reflected in form of loss of appetite, fever, chills, unexplained sweating in the night and itching all over your body along with considerable weight loss. It is treated by giving radiotherapy or chemotherapy or both. In some cases, a transplant of the stem cells is done.
Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma:
Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma is a type of cancer that starts in the lymphatic system. It occurs when your body produces a lot of white blood cells and has been observed to affect individuals with a weak immunity system. Along with symptoms of Hodgkin's lymphoma, other symptoms include shortness of breath, coughing, abdominal pain, headaches, difficulty in concentrating, personality changes and even seizures in cases where it affects the brain. This condition either gets treated by receiving both chemotherapy and radiotherapy or no treatment at all. Some cases require stem cell transplant and if the blood count is low, blood transfusions or platelet transfusions is also required.
Leukaemia:
This is a type of cancer of blood-forming tissue and occurs in the bone marrow. Signs include painless swollen lymph nodes found in the armpit or neck accompanied with fever or sweating in the night, frequent infections, fatigue, easy bruising, abdomen inflammation, sudden weight loss and joint and bone pain. Depending on the age of the patient, the type of leukaemia (acute or chronic) and whether the cancer is stemming from the cerebrospinal fluid, the treatment can include chemotherapy, radiation therapy, biological therapy, stem cells transplantation and drugs. In some cases, surgery of the spleen is also required.
HIV Infection:
The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection slowly damages your immunity system which makes it very difficult for your body to fight away invading infection. The virus gets transmitted after coming in contact with infected blood, semen, or vaginal fluids, blood transfusion or needle sharing and from a pregnant mother to her foetus. After contracting the infection, flu-like symptoms such as fever, sore throat, different types of rashes, mouth sores, and fatigue can be experienced. The disease mostly is asymptomatic until it progresses to AIDS. AIDS is marked by weight loss, fever, sweating in the night, fatigue, and recurrent infections. HIV is a chronic medical condition which can only be treated but cannot get cured. A combination of various anti-viral drugs is prescribed to treat the condition.
Pulmonary Tuberculosis:
Pulmonary Tuberculosis is caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis. It is a contagious, airborne infection that majorly attacks your lungs and can spread to other organs damaging your body tissues. The lymph nodes in the neck tend to swell up and become tender in pulmonary tuberculosis. It manifests in later stages in form of a cough (usually with mucus and blood), fatigue, fever, sweating profusely in the night, and weight loss. Combination of many drugs is prescribed to treat the condition. The medicines continue until the lab test detect which ones are effective. To keep the disease from spreading the patients are either advised to stay at home or get admitted to the hospital for about 2-4 weeks.
Lymph Node Tuberculosis:
Also known as tuberculosis lymphadenitis, lymph node tuberculosis is one of the most common extrapulmonary manifestations of tuberculosis. It affects the lymph nodes in the neck but gets reflected in form of swelling all over the body. The lymph nodes start secreting fluid through the skin after a period. This condition leads to a gradual increase in painless swelling of one or more lymph nodes across a several week and months. Other symptoms include fever, weight loss, fatigue and sweating, especially in individuals suffering from an extensive disease or a co-existing disease. Patient's bacterial infection decides the treatment to be provided. In some cases, infections may also require surgical excision. Nontuberculous mycobacterium (NTM) responds well to surgery whereas antibiotics are used to treat Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
