You will have observed that every time you go to the pediatrician with your child, he or she feels their ganglia. It is a routine inspection, but it is very important that you do it. The ganglia are a small spherical structures formed, basically by cells of the immune system, this is in charge of the defense of our body, that is why it is so very important may they always be healthy.
If you see that at any time the lymph nodes in your children are inflamed, it is a alarm signal. Most of the time it is due to mild infections, but we recommend that you keep them under control.
What are nodes?
In a more technical way, we will tell you that the ganglia are anatomical structures that in a normal state are, more or less, the size of a lentil. In them, the body is filtered or cleaned of microorganisms, viruses or bacteria, and white blood cells are manufactured. We can easily palpate the nodes in the lateral area cervical, groin, armpits, elbows or the area of behind the knees. They should be soft and move easily.
When the nodes fatten, become harder or increase in temperature, it is because are making lymphocytes, and thus be able to fight against a threat that it has detected. In children they are usually viral or bacterial infections.
Children usually have quite a few infections during their first years of life, especially between one and four years. Hence you pediatrician always check the neck area, it is really about knowing how the child's immune system is reacting. The lymph nodes that are most inflamed in pediatric age are those of the head and neck.
Do I have to worry if my child has swollen glands?
Our recommendation is that if you detect an inflammation, that the skin is red or your child has a pain in a lymph node, take him to the pediatrician. In some cases these inflammations have to be treated with antibiotics, but it is always the doctor who has to assess it.
Swollen glands that are just above the clavicle they must always be studied. The same is true if when touching the node it feels "hard as stone" or continues to grow despite treatment. There are times when the inflammation of the lymph nodes can be confused with congenital alterations, sebaceous cysts or lipomas among others, which will have a specific treatment.
In addition to touch, your son or daughter may have to do blood tests and a serology or ultrasound, to confidently confirm that it is a benign process. It can also happen that, in addition to the swollen lymph nodes, an abscess has occurred. That is, there is fluid inside the ganglion, and it will have to be removed with an intervention.
Most common reasons for inflation
The most common causes of lymph node enlargement in children are infections. The most common, when dealing with young children are throat, mouth, ear or skin. It is very likely, 80% of the cases, according to the statistics, that it is a viral infection such as a cold, pharyngitis, or mononucleosis. Conjunctivitis or otitis can also cause inflammation. Once the infection is treated, the nodes return to normal size in less than two weeks.
There may also be an enlargement of the lymph nodes as a reaction to a medication. In this case, the prospectus should notify you. Only on rarer occasions is it directly related to pathologies such as AIDS, rheumatic diseases, or cancer. In these cases the inflammation of the ganglia is not the only symptomatology. There will also be a stubborn fever, excessive sweating, or weight loss.
In general, it can be said that a rapid enlargement of the nodes is less worrisome, that if the growth occurs slowly and painlessly.