How long lymph nodes stay swollen

And they may be as small as the head of a pin or as large as an olive. Groups of lymph nodes can be felt in the neck, groin, and underarms. Lymph nodes generally are not tender or painful. Most lymph nodes in the body cannot be felt. Lymph nodes often swell in one location when a problem such as an injury, infection, or tumor develops in or near the lymph node.

Which lymph nodes are swollen can help identify the problem. Common sites for swollen lymph nodes include the neck, groin, and underarms. When lymph nodes swell in two or more areas of the body, it is called generalized lymphadenopathy. This may be caused by:. Treatment for swollen glands focuses on treating the cause. For example, a bacterial infection may be treated with antibiotics, while a viral infection often goes away on its own.

If cancer is suspected, a biopsy may be done to confirm the diagnosis. Any swollen lymph nodes that don't go away or return to normal size within about a month should be checked by your doctor. Lymph nodes may remain swollen or firm long after an initial infection is gone.

This is especially true in children, whose glands may decrease in size while remaining firm and visible for many weeks. Things you can do yourself Swollen glands should go down within 2 weeks. You can help to ease the symptoms by: resting drinking plenty of fluids to avoid dehydration taking painkillers like paracetamol or ibuprofen do not give aspirin to children under 16 Non-urgent advice: See a GP if:.

Urgent advice: Get advice from now if:. Ask your GP surgery for an urgent appointment. About swollen glands Swollen lymph glands are usually a sign of infection and tend to go down when you recover. Urgent advice: See your GP if you have swollen glands and:. If necessary, your GP may request some tests to help identify the cause. These can include: blood tests an ultrasound scan a computerised tomography CT scan a biopsy where a small sample of fluid is taken from the swelling and tested Common causes of swollen glands Swollen glands are usually caused by a relatively minor viral or bacterial infection, including: a cold tonsillitis glandular fever a throat infection an ear infection a dental abscess cellulitis a skin infection The glands in the affected area will often become suddenly tender or painful.

These infections usually clear up on their own, and the swollen glands will soon go down. Swollen glands are more likely to be caused by cancer if they: don't go away within a few weeks and slowly get bigger are painless and firm or hard when you touch them occur with other symptoms, such as night sweats and weight loss See your GP if your glands have been swollen for more than a couple of weeks.

Tweet Click here to share this page on Twitter This will open a new window. Print Click here to print this page This will open your print options in a new window. Certain characteristics such as the size of the lymph nodes, the way they feel or how long they last can help to differentiate swelling caused by infection from that caused by leukaemia or another type of blood cancer. Spotting the difference between harmless and harmful lymph nodes may be crucial in diagnosing leukaemia early.

Although swollen lymph nodes are nearly always caused by infection or reaction to an allergy, there are a few things you can look out for to help spot the difference between leukaemia and infection:. After a couple of weeks of it not going down, I made an appointment to see the doctor. I was at work one day and the chap on the desk next to me said it like it was getting bigger, so I went along to my doctor. I also lost weight, I had enlarged lymph nodes and I was very emotional. Lymph nodes are small, kidney bean-shaped structures that are found in grape-like clusters throughout the entire body.

They are a part of the lymphatic system, which carries fluid called lymph around the body. Lymph fluid absorbs any waste materials from the blood as well as any viruses and bacteria that are trying to infect the body. When the immune system is alerted, the lymph nodes in the area closest to the infection can grow in size due to inflammation.

Therefore, usually, swollen lymph nodes are just a sign that they are working hard to get rid of an infection. In leukaemia, swollen lymph nodes are caused by a build-up of large numbers of cancerous cells which have travelled from the bone marrow.