The lymph node is a small formation located in the bed of the lymphatic vessel. The node has a diameter of up to 50 mm, the main filling of the formation is lymphocytes. Lymph nodes are located throughout the body, the lymph flowing from the organ is filtered through the nodes, in the presence of infection, lymphocytes come into play, partially destroying the harmful agent. In addition, information about the presence of infection spreads throughout the immune system and activates the body's defenses.
Self diagnosis
Determining on your own that the lymph node is inflamed is quite simple. Patients find lymphadenitis in parts of the body where they are close to the surface of the skin - in the armpits, on the neck, in the subclavian region, on the back of the head, behind the ears. Inflammation of deep lymph nodes cannot be determined independently.
The first symptoms of inflammation:
- The increase in size. The normal size of the formation is no more than 0.5-1.0 mm, it is almost not palpated upon palpation, being designated as a small mobile nodule under the skin. A healthy nodule can only be felt under the lower jaw, in other places it will be imperceptible to the hands.
- When you click on the inflamed tubercle, pain will be felt.
- The texture of the lymph node becomes dense.
- The skin in the area of ​​dislocation of inflammation takes on a red tint.
- In advanced cases, suppuration, temperature can be observed.
- Inflammation is transmitted through the local chain of lymph nodes.
If at least one of the signs is found, it is necessary to consult a doctor. It is believed that if the lymph node becomes inflamed and the process does not progress, spreading to the entire chain, there are no painful sensations, then there are no special reasons for concern.
A single inflammation may be a consequence of a recent infection, and after a complete recovery of the body, the size of the lymph node will return to normal. If, in addition to an increase, pain and discomfort are observed, a doctor's consultation is required.
An increase in lymph nodes in any part of the body indicates that the immune system is on the verge of exhaustion and can no longer cope with infections on its own.
Inflammation mechanism
If the lymph node is inflamed, then this means that there is an infection in the body, since the lymphatic system is part of the human immunity. These small formations trap dangerous cells, microparticles, and then activate the lymphocytes that come to defend the body. Lymphocytes rapidly multiply and settle in the lymph node, due to which it increases in size.
Part of the lymphocytes by the flow of lymph and blood spreads to other organs responsible for the immune system, which causes the activation of the entire defense system. Additional assistance in the form of other immunity agents rushes into the node from which the movement began and where hostile cells are concentrated, and the lymph node increases even more.
An increase in the size of lymph nodes is already alarming for most people, and if pain is added to this, the picture begins to seem threatening. And not in vain - inflammatory processes began in the body.
They are caused by the destruction of immune cells that secrete biologically active substances (histamine, serotonin, etc.). Released into the tissue, they irritate the nerve endings. Also, the pain syndrome is due to the fact that the decay products of pathogenic cells and the toxins secreted by them act on the nerves, destroyed cells of the body join the process.
There are several other factors that explain why the lymph nodes are inflamed. The cause of pain and an increase in size also lies in tissue edema, which began due to the expansion of blood vessels. Edema compresses the lymph node, and a person feels pain and watches the swelling of a small bump under the skin.
Causes of Lymphadenitis
If the lymph nodes are constantly inflamed, then you should look for the cause of this reaction of the body. It can be covered in pathological disorders, namely:
- Infections of the oral cavity.
- Diseases of the respiratory system.
- Neoplasm development.
Lymphadenitis is divided into two groups:
- Specific. Inflammation is caused by diseases such as syphilis, AIDS, measles, tuberculosis, etc.
- Nonspecific. This type of pathology is caused by the entry into the internal environment of the body of hostile microbes, such as staphylococcus, streptococcus. Colds, abscesses, allergies, SARS, toxoplasmosis also cause nonspecific lymphadenitis.
If the body has a wound with little suppuration, then it should be expected that this will cause inflammation of the lymph nodes.
Lymphadenitis on the neck
Most often, a complaint can be heard from the patient that the lymph node on the neck is inflamed. Lymphadenitis is always a consequence of the inflammatory process, and the location of the enlarged nodes indicate where it occurs.
The main reasons why the lymph node has become inflamed belong to non-specific lymphadenitis, namely:
- Venereal diseases.
- SARS, the flu.
- Diseases of the oral cavity (otitis media, stomatitis).
- Lesions by viruses, helminths or fungus.
- Diseases of the upper respiratory tract (tonsillitis, sore throat and larynx, pharyngitis).
- Tumors of the lymphatic system.
- Immunity reduction, etc.
Specific lymphadenitis of the neck is caused by such pathologies:
- Pathology of the thyroid gland.
- Alcoholism.
- Different types of allergic reactions.
- Connective tissue diseases.
- Disorders of the metabolic mechanism.
The patient feels a general malaise, fever rises, weakness is expressed, the inflamed lymph nodes in the neck hurt, and pain swells when swallowed.
Oral inflammation
Infections of the oral cavity can also cause a lymph node in the neck to become inflamed. Adults often feel the enlarged lymph nodes in the submandibular region, this is due to previously transmitted infectious diseases, as well as bacteria and their metabolic products located in the oral cavity.
In the dentist's office, patients are often worried about the question: can the lymph node become inflamed due to a tooth? With the course of some types of infectious lesions in the oral cavity can.
Lymphadenitis causes such diseases:
- Gingivitis. Violation of the rules of oral hygiene leads to the formation of plaque, where bacteria develop. Weakened immunity cannot cope with them, and inflammation occurs. Gums suffer, the oral cavity as a whole, as a result, the patient discovers that the lymph node is inflamed, sometimes several.
- Infectious glossitis is an inflammation of the tongue. With the disease, the infection affects not only the mucous surface, but also the muscle layers. The lymph of this organ is distributed into several groups of lymph nodes. With the rapid course of the disease, a whole group can become inflamed.
- Caries is a sluggish process of destruction of the tooth structure. Caused by a number of bacteria, most of them are streptococci. Vital products of bacteria with lymph flow are distributed through the lymph nodes, causing inflammation.
- Stomatitis is any disease of the oral cavity that has an infectious nature. Inflammation can be observed on the gums, tongue, cheeks, palate. Bacteria, falling into the lymph flow, enter the lymph nodes, which causes their growth and inflammation.
A specialist, communicating with the patient, will find out whether the lymph node can become inflamed due to a tooth, an infection that affects the mucous membrane of the oral cavity, ear inflammation, and so on. In the search for answers, the doctor conducts a series of diagnostic measures to determine the source of the disease.
Lymphadenitis with angina
Angina is a disease caused by viruses or infection, that pathogenic microflora to which each person’s immune system responds. Pathology has a range of signs and symptoms, in many cases it is severe and has complications. One of the signs of a severely ongoing disease is inflammation of the lymph nodes in the neck. The enlargement of the node can reach the size of a quail egg, in the affected area the patient feels pain, the structure of the formation becomes denser.
A complex of measures is prescribed for treatment, designed not only to eliminate the disease, but also to avoid complications that are often the result of a sore throat. “The lymph node has become inflamed,” such a complaint often sounds from the mouth of a patient who has had a sore throat or is in the stage of its acute course. Treatment begins with therapy of the underlying disease, strengthening immunity. Recovery usually brings about the elimination of all symptoms, including the normalization of the state of the lymph nodes, if lymphadenitis remains, additional examination and the search for the site of inflammation are required.
Cold
Are the lymph nodes inflamed? This fact is a signal for the doctor that the immune system is working to the limit and needs support. In this case, the therapy of the underlying disease is carried out, measures and medications are determined to support the protective functions of the body.
In the event that after all the measures taken over several weeks the size and condition of the lymphatic system does not return to normal, additional examinations of patients are prescribed. The purpose of the diagnosis is to find out the reasons why the lymph node has become inflamed.
Which doctor should i contact:
- Endocrinologist.
- To the infectionist.
- To the surgeon.
- Oncologist.
- TB specialist.
Each of these specialists will check lymphatic clusters, relevant diseases and will be able to confirm or refute suspicions of global pathologies such as oncology, AIDS, diabetes, syphilis, etc. A serious illness may be hidden behind the symptoms of an ordinary cold. A signal for additional diagnosis is the fact that its course has become protracted, conventional therapy does not bring results, and the patient’s condition continues to worsen.
Features of the reactions of the female body
Women sometimes notice that the lymph nodes become inflamed before menstruation. You can find them in the groin, in the axillary region, on the neck and other parts of the body. For some, this is extremely rare, but there are cases when the syndrome manifests itself every month. In this case, diagnosis is necessary. Inflammation of the lymph nodes indicates the location of the disease.
For example, if the lymph node in the groin becomes inflamed, then this may be a consequence:
- Ovarian cysts.
- Malignant tumor in the pelvis.
- Inflammation with localization in the vagina or uterus.
- Venereal pathology.
Having discovered that the lymph node in the axillary region has become inflamed, you can suspect:
- Hormonal imbalance (a consequence of abortion, prolonged unbalanced diet, gynecological disease, etc.).
- A side effect of taking certain hormonal drugs.
- The presence of seals in the mammary gland, which cannot be detected by external independent research.
- Violation of the outflow of lymph due to tissue edema.
- An exacerbation of the course of any chronic disease. Before the critical days in women, immunity decreases sharply, which provokes lymphadenitis.
Practice shows that inflammation of the lymph nodes in the axillary region indicates the presence of mastopathy. Many women suffer from this disease in a latent form. The detected inflammation must be examined, a mammogram performed and a gynecologist and general practitioner consulted.
A special case
Sometimes a situation develops when the lymph nodes become inflamed and do not hurt. This can happen after the infection, and it is necessary to monitor the state of the lymph nodes for 3 or 4 weeks, in the absence of other inflammatory pathologies, they will return to normal.
If the inflammation progresses and new inflamed nodes constantly appear, then it is urgent to consult a doctor - similar symptoms are characteristic of oncology (for example, lymphoma). One of the forms of diagnosis should be the puncture of the lymph node for tissue collection and detailed study.
Diagnostics
Therapy of any disease begins with a diagnosis, including if the lymph node becomes inflamed and hurts. What to do? Refer to the local therapist, he will prescribe a series of tests, will send for a comprehensive examination, which includes:
- Blood test (general analysis). The results will confirm or exclude anemia, leukocytosis, leukopenia, lymphopenia and a number of diseases.
- A biochemical blood test will tell about the condition of the liver, pancreas, kidneys, etc. That is, it will indicate an affected organ.
- Urinalysis (general analysis).
- Biopsy of tissues of inflamed nodes - the contents of the node are studied, the type of infection is established, oncology is confirmed / refuted.
- X-ray, ultrasound.
- Computed tomography, lymphography.
- Immunography, tests for STDs, AIDS, HIV.
Treatment
Treatment is prescribed only after a complete diagnosis of the reasons for which the lymph nodes are inflamed. Antibiotics, which many patients seek to take on their own, without consulting a doctor, do not always bring the desired result, but can be an additional blow to the immune system.
For complex therapy, the following groups of medications are prescribed:
- Antibacterial agents. They are selected depending on the current disease purely individually.
- Antimycotic drugs (Clotrimazole, Ketoconazole, etc.).
- Complexes of vitamins and minerals to maintain and strengthen the body's defenses.
- Antiviral agents (Cycloferon, Viferon). In the case of the viral nature of the lesion, general treatment measures are used in the treatment.
- Antiherpetic drugs ("Acyclovir"), medication is prescribed after confirmation of herpes.
External agents (creams, ointments, compresses) are used to treat suppuration. It is forbidden to warm the inflamed lymph nodes, this can cause purulent processes. If the cause of inflammation of the lymphatic system was an oncological disease, then chemotherapy is used, in some cases surgical excision.
In addition to the use of drug treatment, physiotherapeutic procedures can be prescribed, measures aimed at strengthening immunity, including folk remedies - taking decoctions and tinctures of echinacea, ginseng root, vitamin C (citrus fruits, rosehip broth, etc.) is recommended. A positive effect on the general condition is hardening, playing sports, giving up bad habits, and switching to a healthy diet.
An inflamed lymph node or an entire group is evidence of the immune system working to neutralize any inflammatory, infectious process. Therefore, limiting the treatment of only lymph nodes is incorrect; an integrated approach to identifying a global disease is necessary. In those cases when the disease is treated with the right methods and recovery occurs, the lymph nodes return to normal after a short period of time.