Lymphadenopathy
August 13th, 2017
Overview
Lymphadenopathy refers to enlargement of the lymph nodes, which is often painful. It is important to carefully assess for lymph node enlargement, this suggests infective, inflammatory or malignant pathology.
How to Elicit
- Using the pulps of the fingers, gently palpate each of the lymph node groups within the cervical and axillary regions.
Feel For
- Size - normally <10mm
- Tenderness
- Consistency - hard (metastasis), rubbery (lymphoma), soft (reactive)
- Mobility - mobile or tethered to underlying structures
Causes of Lymphadenopathy
- Infection - bacterial, viral, fungal, protozoal
- Inflammatory disorders - lupus, rheumatoid arthritis
- Malignancy - leukaemia, lymphoma, solid organ malignancies
- Medications - allopurinol, atenolol, cephalosporins, penicillin, phenytoin
- Benign idiopathic
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