What causes mesenteric lymphadenopathy? Differentiate between acute and chronic

Lymph nodes are the guardians of our body. If there is any disease or inflammation, it will cause lymph node swelling. Enlargement of intestinal lymph nodes is also very common. There are acute and chronic types. Acute ones are mostly caused by upper respiratory tract infections, while chronic ones are mostly caused by tuberculosis.

1. Acute mesenteric lymphadenopathy

This disease is often associated with upper respiratory tract infection. Clinical manifestations include fever, abdominal pain, vomiting, or diarrhea or constipation. Abdominal pain sometimes feels like colic in the right lower abdomen, but can also occur in other parts of the body, so it is easy to misdiagnose as acute appendicitis, and is only proven to be mesenteric lymphadenitis during surgery. This disease is mostly a viral infection and generally heals naturally (see the section on acute mesenteric lymphadenitis in the digestive system diseases chapter).

2. Chronic mesenteric lymphadenopathy

It is often caused by tuberculosis, accompanied by intestinal tuberculosis or tuberculous peritonitis, and a history of contact with tuberculosis. The clinical manifestations include symptoms of chronic tuberculosis poisoning, low fever, night sweats, fatigue, poor appetite, and abdominal pain. Enlarged lymph nodes with obvious tenderness can be palpated in the right lower abdomen or left upper abdomen. Anti-tuberculosis treatment is generally effective. Surgery may be considered if necessary.

3. Diet therapy

1. Purslane, Chrysanthemum and Mung Bean Porridge

Soak mung beans for half a day, wash and chop purslane, and dry and grind chrysanthemum into powder. When the mung beans are half cooked, add purslane and glutinous rice and simmer until it becomes porridge. Add chrysanthemum powder and cook for a while. Take it twice a day. This method has the medicinal effect of clearing away heat, detoxifying and removing dampness, and can be used to treat acute lymphangitis, in which one or several thread-like red lines appear on the wound of the lower limbs, which are hard and tender.

2. Water chestnut porridge

Peel and slice the water chestnuts, put them into the pot together with the cleaned glutinous rice, add water and simmer for porridge. Take it twice a day. The effect is that it can clear away heat and promote salivation.

Mainly used to treat acute lymphangitis. Note: Water chestnut extract has an inhibitory effect on Staphylococcus aureus.

3. Snow soup

50-100 grams each of water chestnuts and jellyfish (soaked and salted), boil them into a soup and drink it in 2-3 times. This is the "Xue Geng Soup" by Wang Shixiong, a famous doctor in the Qing Dynasty. It has the effects of clearing heat and resolving phlegm, eliminating accumulation and softening hard masses, and lowering blood pressure. It can be used to treat phlegm-heat cough, lymph tuberculosis, and primary hypertension.