Is submandibular lymphadenopathy serious?

It is quite common to have swollen lymph nodes under the mandible. The lymph node tissue under the mandible is relatively abundant. If swollen lymph nodes occur, it is often caused by some infection, which often causes manifestations of some diseases. The more common ones are chronic lymphadenitis, tuberculous lymphadenitis, etc. In addition, lymph node metastasis, malignant lymphoma, etc. can also cause swollen lymph nodes under the mandible, so we should also be vigilant.

Common diseases of submandibular lymphadenopathy

1. Chronic lymphadenitis presents as obvious infection foci, manifested as local lymph node enlargement, pain and tenderness. The diameter usually does not exceed 2 to 3 cm and will quickly return to normal after treatment. 2. Tuberculous lymphadenitis is common in young and middle-aged people, with symptoms such as fatigue, fever, sweating, and increased erythrocyte sedimentation rate, accompanied by pulmonary nodules. The lymph nodes are unevenly distributed, some are lighter and some are harder. They are often attached to each other and connected to the skin, and have poor sensitivity.

3. Giant lymph node hyperplasia is a very rare disease. It is characterized by unexplained swollen lymph nodes, which mainly affect the chest cavity and are often misdiagnosed as thymoma, plasmacytoma, malignant lymphoma, etc. 4. Malignant lymphoma can occur in any population. After the swelling occurs, it can develop from the size of a soybean to the size of a date, with moderate hardness and no pain. In the late stage, the swollen lymph nodes can become serious, with a radius of more than 10 cm, and may even invade the skin, causing ulcers that are difficult to heal. 5. Lymph node metastasis: The tumor texture is relatively hard and uneven, usually manifesting locally and not likely to develop into systemic lymph node enlargement. 6. Acute leukemia and chronic lymphocytic leukemia are also two diseases that can easily cause lymph node enlargement, especially acute lymphocytic leukemia, a common disease in children, which has a rapid onset and is accompanied by bleeding, fever, sternal tenderness, and hepatosplenomegaly.

7. Serum sickness mainly occurs after the injection of serum drugs such as tetanus antitoxin and rabies vaccine, with lymph node enlargement as the initial symptom. The diagnosis can be made based on injection history and fever, rash, eosinophilia, etc.

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