Lymph nodes on the baby's neck

The country has allowed for a second child, but many families still choose to have a second child. If there is only one child in the family, he or she will naturally become the precious one. As a child grows and develops, some normal physical phenomena may occur. Parents who do not understand the situation may mistake these phenomena for a disease and become very nervous. It is normal for a baby to have lymph nodes on his neck. Lymph nodes are important immune organs in the body. As long as the lymph nodes are not swollen, there is no problem.

It is normal for babies to have lymph nodes on their necks. The only thing you need to pay attention to is whether the lymph nodes are swollen.

Lymph nodes are organs unique to mammals (waterfowl also have two pairs of lymph nodes) and are important immune organs in the human body. It is a round or oval structure, mostly concentrated in the neck, mesentery, axilla and groin, and connected to the lymphatic vessels. The superficial lymph nodes of normal people are very small, with a diameter of less than 0.5 cm. The surface is smooth and soft, with no adhesion to the surrounding tissues and no tenderness. Swollen lymph nodes are the beacon tower of the human body and an alarm device.

The cervical lymph nodes are swollen. The superficial lymph nodes in a normal human body are very small, with a diameter of less than 0.5 cm. The surface is smooth and soft, with no adhesion to the surrounding tissues and no tenderness. When the body is invaded by pathogenic factors, information is transmitted to the lymph nodes. Lymphocytes produce lymphokines and antibodies to effectively kill the pathogenic factors. At the same time, lymphocytes and tissue cells in the lymph nodes reactively proliferate, causing the lymph nodes to swell. The head and neck are rich in lymph nodes, and the neck itself has many lymph nodes. Under pathological and physiological conditions, the cervical lymph nodes may swell.

Causes of swollen lymph nodes in the neck

Causes of swollen lymph nodes in the neck include infectious (inflammatory) swelling, tumor swelling, reactive hyperplasia and histiocytic hyperplasia.

1. Inflammatory swelling

When acute or chronic lymph node infections are caused by bacteria, viruses, rickettsia, chlamydia, fungi, spirochetes, protozoa, worms, etc., the lymph nodes may become congested and edematous, with proliferation of lymphocytes and macrophages, infiltration of neutrophils, monocytes and plasma cells, and even necrosis and granuloma formation, causing enlargement of the lymph nodes and pain.

2. Tumorous enlargement

Whether it is an endogenous tumor originating from the lymphatic tissue, such as lymphoma, lymphocytic leukemia, etc., or a tumor metastasized from outside the lymph nodes, such as oral cancer metastasized to the cervical lymph nodes, nasopharyngeal carcinoma metastasized to the cervical lymph nodes, gastric cancer metastasized to the left supraclavicular lymph nodes, etc., it can manifest as unrestricted tumor cells proliferating in large numbers in the lymph nodes, occupying and destroying the normal tissue structure of the lymph nodes, and at the same time causing hyperplasia of fibrous tissue and infiltration of inflammatory cells in the lymph nodes, leading to lymph node enlargement.

3. Reactive hyperplasia

It includes two types: nonspecific reactive lymphocytic hyperplasia and immune reactive hyperplasia. It is mostly caused by biological factors (bacteria, viruses, etc.), chemical factors (drugs, environmental toxins, metabolic toxic products, etc.) and allergic stimulation, which cause the reactive proliferation of lymphocytes and monocytes and macrophages in the lymph nodes, manifested as enlargement of lymph follicles, hyperplasia of parafollicular lymphocytes, necrotic hyperplasia, leading to lymph node enlargement.

4. Histiocytic hyperplasia

There is a large amount of tissue cell proliferation in the lymph nodes, which is distributed in a lamellar, focal or diffuse manner, and granulomas may also form, such as Langerhan histiocytosis. In addition, the accumulation of a large number of Niemann-Pickz cells and Gautier cells in the lymph nodes can also cause lymph node enlargement.