$Unique_ID{PAR00083}
$Pretitle{}
$Title{Medical Advice:  Glands, Swollen}
$Subtitle{}
$Author{
Editors of Consumer Guide
Chasnoff, Ira J}
$Subject{Swollen Glands lymph nodes Swelling tenderness node skin pain redness
disease immunity immune system infection illness infections illnesses ears
skull chin neck armpits elbows groin creases chest abdomen lymphatic vessels
spleen liver examination chest kidney kidneys x-ray antibiotic antibiotics}
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Your Child:  A Medical Guide


Glands, Swollen


     Quick Reference

     SYMPTOMS
     - Swelling or tenderness of the lymph nodes
     - Unusual swelling, pain, and redness of the skin over infected lymph
       nodes

     HOME CARE
     - Mildly swollen lymph nodes usually require treatment only for the
       disease or infection causing the swelling.

     PRECAUTIONS
     - Because infants have limited immunity to disease, swollen lymph nodes
       in an infant should always be examined by a doctor.
     - Consult the doctor if a lymph node continues to increase in size or
       tenderness, or if the overlying skin becomes red.
     - Swollen lymph nodes are a sign of infection or illness, ranging in
       severity from the common cold to more serious conditions, such as
       leukemia.  Always consult your doctor about persistent or recurring
       lymph node enlargement.
     - Swollen lymph nodes in many areas of the body at once usually indicate
       a general illness or widespread infection.
     - When your child turns his or her head, you may notice lymph nodes the
       size of a pea or smaller in the sides of the neck.  This is normal.


     The term swollen glands is often used to refer to swelling of the lymph
nodes.  Lymph nodes are sometimes called lymph glands, although they are not
true glands.  Lymph nodes are widely distributed throughout the body, and in
their normal state are an eighth-inch to a quarter-inch in size.
     Many lymph nodes lie just beneath the skin.  These lymph nodes are
located in front of the ears, behind the ears, at the base of the skull, under
the chin, down the sides of the neck, in the armpits, in the folds of the
elbows, and above and below the creases in the groin.  Lymph nodes are also
found within the chest and abdomen, but these lie too deeply within the body
to be felt.
     The lymph nodes lie along thin-walled tubes called lymphatic vessels.
These vessels resemble and roughly follow the course of the veins in the body.
They do not contain blood, however.  They carry a thin, clear, slightly sticky
liquid called lymph, which resembles the clear, watery fluid that oozes from a
scrape or that forms within a blister caused by rubbing.
     Lymph nodes are important in helping the body fight infections and
disease.  When lymph nodes become swollen, it is a sign that they are fighting
an illness or infection.  The lymph nodes of the entire body may be swollen,
or nodes may be swollen in only one area of the body.
     When all the lymph nodes or the lymph nodes in many areas are swollen,
this usually indicates a general illness or widespread infection affecting the
entire body.
     When lymph nodes are swollen in only one location, this is a sign of an
infection in the area of the body guarded by those nodes.  Swollen lymph nodes
in one area might be caused by a variety of local infections.  The appearance
of red streaks under the skin (which typically indicates blood poisoning) is
caused by infection traveling along the lymphatic vessels in that area.
     In some cases, an infection may become too severe for the lymph nodes to
handle.  In such a case, the lymph node itself may become infected.

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS

     Swollen or tender lymph nodes are a symptom of illness or infection.  If
lymph nodes continue to swell, become painful, and redden the overlying skin,
the nodes themselves may have become infected.  If the node is destroyed by
the infection, it breaks down into pus, which may erupt through the skin like
a deep-seated boil.

HOME CARE

     Mildly swollen lymph nodes usually require treatment only for the disease
or infection causing the swelling.  If lymph nodes are greatly enlarged, very
tender, or red, see your doctor.

PRECAUTIONS

  -  In infants, swollen lymph nodes in the neck (and sometimes in other
     locations) require a doctor's attention because infants have a limited
     resistance to diseases.
  -  Any lymph node that continues to increase in size or tenderness or that
     becomes reddened should be called to a doctor's attention.
  -  Swollen lymph nodes are a sign of infection or illness, ranging in
     severity from the common cold to more serious conditions, such as
     leukemia.  Always consult your doctor about persistent or recurring
     lymph node enlargement.
  -  Healthy children may have visible lymph nodes the size of fresh peas or
     smaller in the sides of the neck, which may become especially noticeable
     when the child turns his head.  This is normal.

MEDICAL TREATMENT

     Your doctor will seek the cause of swollen lymph nodes by conducting a
complete examination of all sites of nodes as well as the spleen and liver.
The doctor may also order blood studies and, in severe cases, x-ray
examinations of the chest and kidneys.  Your doctor will treat the disease
causing the swollen lymph nodes and may treat the nodes themselves by
prescribing antibiotics.  An infected lymph node may be opened and drained or
removed, either as treatment or for a biopsy (removal of a tissue sample for
diagnostic purposes).

RELATED TOPICS:  Blood poisoning; Boils; Burns; Cat scratch fever; Chicken
pox; Common cold; Cuts; Impetigo; Infectious mononucleosis; Insect bites and
stings; Leukemia; Rubella; Scabies; Scrapes; Sinusitis; Tonsillitis; Toothache