Causes of swollen lymph nodes in the neck

Swollen neck lymph nodes can be caused by many reasons such as pharyngitis, rhinitis, immunodeficiency, tuberculosis, cancer.

Lymph nodes develop along the armpits, neck, groin, wrist joints... and have the role of producing and storing white blood cells to fight pathogens. Normally, they are submerged under the skin.

Cervical lymph nodes appear in many shapes such as oval, round, and chain; hard or soft, mobile or adherent. Depending on the cause, the characteristics may vary.

Usually the swelling is the size of a pea or larger, palpable or visible. The swelling can also be firm or soft, painful or painless to the touch, appearing suddenly and gradually increasing in size. Accompanying symptoms include night sweats and fever, sore throat, runny nose, toothache, body weakness, sudden weight loss.

Master, Doctor CKII Doan Minh Trong, Head and Neck Unit, Tam Anh General Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City, said that there are many causes of this condition such as infections in the throat, sinuses, tonsils, salivary glands, gums... People with weak constitution, immunodeficiency, people with syphilis in the second stage, also have swollen lymph nodes in the neck.

Doctor Trong examines a patient's neck lymph nodes. Photo: Nguyen Tram — Doctor Trong examines a patient's neck lymph nodes. Photo: *Nguyen Tram*

Patients with tuberculosis will have small, uneven, painless lymph nodes in the neck, forming a chain along both sides of the sternocleidomastoid muscle (a group of muscles in the neck that supports the movement of the cervical spine and helps the head turn left and right), the neck or under the jawbone. The patient also has a fever in the afternoon, a pale body, rapid weight loss, and damage to the peritoneum and pleura.

People with malignant blood diseases such as non-Hodgkin's or Hodgkin's lymphoma, acute leukemia, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, also have swollen lymph nodes in the neck. This disease also causes lymph nodes in the armpits, supraclavicular fossa, and groin.

Patients with head and neck cancer may have lymph nodes in their neck. Some cases of breast cancer, stomach cancer, etc. are also the cause of lymph nodes in this location, but they are not common. Lymph nodes in the neck caused by cancer are characterized by being large, less mobile, sticking together in clusters or separating, causing pain and swelling around the lymph nodes.

According to Dr. Trong, neck lymph nodes can be benign or malignant, warning of many dangerous diseases, leaving serious complications, threatening life. Patients should go to the doctor for examination, determine the cause and timely treatment.

Nguyen Tram

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