Lymphadenopathy - what is it? Causes of enlarged lymph nodes

Enlargement, inflammation of lymph nodes can be an independent disease. Most often, this phenomenon indicates an active infection. Why does lymphadenopathy occur? What it is? What symptoms should I pay attention to?

Lymphadenopathy - what is it?

Lymphadenopathy is called a condition accompanied by a strong increase in lymphatic vessels. A similar term, as a rule, is used by doctors in the process of diagnosis to indicate the leading symptom of the disease.

Depending on the location and number of affected nodes, it is common to distinguish three main forms of this pathology:

1. Local lymphadenopathy occurs most frequently. This phenomenon is accompanied by an increase in only one node in a certain area.
2. It is much less common to diagnose regional lymphadenopathy. What it is? In this state, there is an increase in several nodes at once in one or two adjacent regions.
3. In some infections, in particular HIV and toxoplasmosis, generalized lymphadenopathy is observed. What it is? This form is characterized by an increase in many nodes localized in more than three zones.

The main causes of lymphadenopathy

As you know, there are about 600 lymph nodes in the human body. The main function of the lymphatic system is to protect the body from infections - it is the one that reacts first to the penetration of pathogenic organisms or foreign bodies into the body.

Any infectious disease can be accompanied by an increase in lymph nodes. Bacteria (tuberculosis, brucellosis, syphilis), viruses (HIV, cytomegalovirus, hepatitis), fungal microorganisms (actinomycosis, histoplasmosis) and even parasites (giardiasis, toxoplasmosis) can act as pathogens.

On the other hand, lymph node involvement can be caused by taking certain medications. In particular, lymphadenopathy often occurs against the background of the use of penicillin, quinidine, captopril, atenolol, cephalosporin.

In addition, her symptoms can signal the presence of cancer. For example, abdominal lymphadenopathy is most often the result of metastasizing a malignant tumor.

Lymphadenopathy: symptoms and methods of diagnosis

Lymphadenopathy can be acute. In such cases, there is a rapid increase in the lymph node, which is accompanied by swelling and redness of the skin, as well as pain that increases with palpation. The chronic form of lymphadenopathy is characterized by an erased clinical picture and the absence of unpleasant sensations in the region of the affected node.

Often, this condition is accompanied by an increase in temperature, increased sweating, which is worse at night, as well as a prolonged fever, an increase in the spleen and liver.

Thorough diagnosis provides an opportunity not only to assess the degree of lesion of the lymphatic system, but also to determine the cause of enlarged lymph nodes. For the beginning the patient should hand over a blood on the analysis. In addition, in the presence of indications, a chest X-ray or ultrasound examination of the abdominal cavity and pelvic organs is performed. And retroperitoneal lymphadenopathy is quite clearly visible on CT.

Do I need to treat lymphadenopathy?

It is widely believed that enlarged knots need to be heated with warm compresses or rubbed with alcohol. In fact, all these procedures are contraindicated until the doctor delivers the final diagnosis, otherwise self-medication attempts can only worsen the situation. As for the treatment, the therapy of the direction is primarily to treat the disease that caused the enlargement of the lymph nodes. Most often, lymphadenopathy passes by itself as soon as the primary disease is eliminated.