There is a lump on the right side of the child's neck

The phenomenon of a lump on the right side of a child's neck is closely related to the lymph. The typical cause is lymph node inflammation, and there are many types, such as chronic lymphadenitis, tuberculous lymphadenitis, giant lymph node hyperplasia, etc. The key is to make a judgment based on the child's situation. If you are not sure, it is best to go to the hospital for examination as soon as possible. Let’s look at some common causes of lymphadenitis.

Chronic lymphadenitis

Most of them have obvious infection foci, and often localized lymph node enlargement, pain and tenderness. The diameter usually does not exceed 2 to 3 cm, and will shrink after anti-inflammatory treatment. Inguinal lymphadenopathy, especially long-standing, unchanged, flat lymphadenopathy, is usually of no significance. However, unexplained enlargement of the cervical and supraclavicular lymph nodes indicates a systemic lymphoproliferative disease and should be taken seriously and further examined and confirmed.

Tuberculous lymphadenitis

Symptoms include fever, sweating, fatigue, and increased erythrocyte sedimentation rate, which are more common in young and middle-aged people. It is often accompanied by pulmonary tuberculosis. The texture of the lymph nodes is uneven, some parts are lighter (caseous change), some parts are harder (fibrosis or calcification), and they are adhered to each other and the skin, so their mobility is poor. These patients have positive tuberculin tests and blood tuberculosis antibodies.

Malignant lymphoma

It can also be seen in any age group. The lymph node enlargement is often painless and progressive, ranging in size from soybean to jujube, and of medium hardness. Generally, there is no adhesion to the skin, and they do not fuse with each other in the early and middle stages, so they are movable. In the later stages, the lymph nodes may grow very large or fuse into large masses with a diameter of more than 20 cm, invading the skin and taking a long time to heal after rupturing. In addition, it can invade the mediastinum, liver, spleen and other organs, including the lungs, digestive tract, bones, skin, breast, nervous system, etc. Diagnosis requires biopsy. Clinically, malignant lymphoma is often misdiagnosed. Among patients with superficial lymphadenopathy as the first symptom, 70% to 80% are diagnosed as lymphadenitis or lymphadenopathy tuberculosis at the initial visit, resulting in delayed treatment.

Giant lymph node hyperplasia

It is a rare disease that is easily misdiagnosed. It often manifests as unexplained lymphadenopathy, which mainly invades the chest cavity, most commonly the mediastinum, but can also invade the hilum and lungs. Other sites of involvement include the neck, retroperitoneum, pelvis, axilla, and soft tissue. It is often misdiagnosed as thymoma, plasmacytoma, malignant lymphoma, etc. Understanding the pathology and clinical manifestations of this disease is extremely important for early diagnosis.

Pseudolymphoma

It often occurs in areas outside the lymph nodes, such as pseudolymphoma of the eye sockets and stomach and lymphatic polyps of the digestive tract, all of which can form lumps. It is generally considered to be a reactive hyperplasia caused by inflammation.

Lymph node metastasis

The lymph nodes are often hard and the primary lesion can be found. The texture is uneven and rarely generalized lymphadenopathy.

Acute leukemia and chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

Lymph node enlargement is also common, especially in acute lymphocytic leukemia, which is common in children. The clinical onset is acute and is often accompanied by fever, bleeding, enlarged liver and spleen, sternal tenderness, etc. Hematological and bone marrow puncture examinations can confirm the diagnosis and differentiation.

Sarcoidosis

It is rare in my country and often invades the bilateral hilum of the lungs in a radiating pattern, accompanied by long-term low fever. Lymph nodes throughout the body may swell, especially those in front and behind the ears, under the jaw, and beside the trachea. It is difficult to differentiate it from malignant lymphoma clinically.

Infectious mononucleosis is more common in young and middle-aged men and is caused by the Epstein-Barr virus. However, patients are usually in good general condition and may have fever and systemic lymphadenopathy, as well as mild spleen enlargement. The presence of atypical lymphocytes in the peripheral blood and a positive heterophile agglutination test can confirm the diagnosis.

Serum sickness is a disease that occurs after patients use serum products (tetanus antitoxin, rabies vaccine, etc.). In a small number of patients, lymphadenopathy is the first clinical symptom. However, the injection site and supratrochlear lymph nodes are usually the first to swell. The diagnosis can be made based on injection history and fever, rash, eosinophilia, etc.

Swollen lymph nodes are very common. We hope that the above 10 causes of the disease can provide some inspiration for everyone to seek medical treatment, diagnose and identify them in time so as to get timely and effective treatment.