lymphadenopathy
Sign in to saveLymphadenopathy or adenopathy is a disease of the lymph nodes, in which they are abnormal in size or consistency. Lymphadenopathy of an inflammatory type (the most common type) is lymphadenitis, producing swollen or enlarged lymph nodes. In clinical practice, the distinction between lymphadenopathy and lymphadenitis is rarely made and the words are usually treated as synonymous. Inflammation of the lymphatic vessels is known as lymphangitis. Infectious lymphadenitis affecting lymph nodes in the neck is often called scrofula.
Key facts
- Medical condition (new).name
- Lymphadenopathy
- Medical condition (new).synonyms
- Adenopathy, swollen lymph nodes, swollen glands
- Medical condition (new).image
- CT of axillary lymphadenopathy - annotated.jpg
- Medical condition (new).caption
- A CT scan of axillary lymphadenopathy in a 57-year-old man with multiple myeloma.
- Medical condition (new).field
- Infectious disease, oncology
- Medical condition (new).symptoms
- Fever; Hard, fixed, rapidly growing nodes, indicating a possible cancer or lymphoma; night sweats; runny nose; sore throat
- Medical condition (new).causes
- Infections; autoimmune diseases; malignancies; histiocytoses; storage diseases; benign hyperplasia; drug reactions
- Medical condition (new).risks
- Back pain; constipation; urinary frequency
- Medical condition (new).diagnosis
- CT scan; MRI scan; ultrasound
via Wikipedia infobox
Research
32,583 papers- Unexplained Lymphadenopathy: Evaluation and Differential Diagnosis.American family physician · 2016
- Lymphadenopathy: Evaluation and Differential Diagnosis.American family physician · 2025
- Lymphadenopathy: Differential Diagnosis and Indications for Evaluation.Pediatrics in review · 2024
- Pediatric Lymphadenopathy.Advances in pediatrics · 2025
- Pediatric Cervical Lymphadenopathy.Pediatrics in review · 2018
via PubMed
Article
8 sectionsContents
- Causes
- Benign (reactive) lymphadenopathy
- Diagnosis
- Classification
- Size
- See also
- References
- External links
Lymphadenopathy or adenopathy is a disease of the lymph nodes, in which they are abnormal in size or consistency. Lymphadenopathy of an inflammatory type (the most common type) is lymphadenitis, producing swollen or enlarged lymph nodes. In clinical practice, the distinction between lymphadenopathy and lymphadenitis is rarely made and the words are usually treated as synonymous. Inflammation of the lymphatic vessels is known as lymphangitis. Infectious lymphadenitis affecting lymph nodes in the neck is often called scrofula.
Lymphadenopathy is a common and nonspecific sign. Common causes include infections (from minor causes such as the common cold and post-vaccination swelling to serious ones such as HIV/AIDS), autoimmune diseases, and cancer. Lymphadenopathy is frequently idiopathic and self-limiting.