Pain at the junction of the jaw and neck

There are actually many lymphatic systems in our neck. Many times, if we feel pain at the junction of our chin and neck, we may be suffering from swollen and tender submandibular lymph nodes. When facing this disease, although we can alleviate it through some methods, we still need to go to the hospital for treatment before we can recover. So when you experience swollen and tender submandibular lymph nodes, you should pay attention.

Swelling of the submandibular lymph nodes due to inflammation of the oral cavity and pharynx. Lymph node enlargement refers to a condition in which the diameter of the lymph nodes exceeds 1.5 cm, the appearance changes, and the texture is abnormal. The symptoms may be acute lymphadenitis, or milder cases where the local lymph nodes are slightly swollen and slightly tender. It often occurs in the submandibular area, neck, armpits, groin, etc. It generally does not require treatment and can heal on its own. In more serious cases, the local lymph nodes are obviously enlarged and accompanied by redness, swelling, heat, pain, and possibly fever. If not treated in time, acute lymphadenitis may develop into an abscess.

reason

It refers to the submandibular lymph nodes that swell due to inflammation due to stimulation from bacteria and their toxins and can be clearly felt by hand, often accompanied by symptoms of pain. There are many causes of the disease. When an infection occurs in a certain part of the body, bacteria pass through the lymph nodes with the lymph fluid, which can cause swelling and pain in the lymph nodes. When the body suffers from malignant tumors, they often metastasize along the lymphatic vessels and stay in the lymph nodes to divide and proliferate, causing the lymph nodes to swell.

examine

The main clinical manifestations include fullness in the submandibular area, enlarged lymph nodes and tenderness.

1. There may be other primary infection foci such as respiratory tract infection, oral inflammation, furuncle, skin lesion infection, etc.

2. Local lymph nodes are swollen, painful, or red, with a sense of fluctuation when touched, often accompanied by fever, loss of appetite, etc.

3. Perform lymph node biopsy if necessary to exclude malignant tumor infiltration.

Common diseases that cause swollen lymph nodes:

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 uneven in texture, and the primary lesion can be found. Rarely, there is 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 both hilums of the lungs in a radiating pattern, accompanied by long-term low-grade 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

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

Serum sickness

It 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.

Lymph node enlargement is very common. I hope the above 10 diseases can give you some inspiration so that you can seek medical treatment, diagnose and identify them in time so as to get timely and effective treatment.

Mitigation methods

1. Develop good living habits.

2. Maintain a good attitude, stable emotions, healthy eating habits, eat more fruits and vegetables to improve your immunity.

3. People who must work in areas with heavy oil smoke should try to protect themselves, such as wearing masks, going out regularly to breathe some fresh air, and getting checked at least once a year.

4. Stay away from smoke, alcohol, drugs, radiation, pesticides, noise, volatile harmful gases, toxic and harmful heavy metals, etc.