What Is Lymphadenitis in Humans?

Lymph nodes are small organs that produce substances that your immune system uses to fight infections. Lymphadenitis occurs when one or more of your lymph nodes becomes infected.

Causes

• Lymphadenitis develops after your immune systems become inflamed from a bacterial, viral or fungal infection. These infections may be an illness that affects your body from the inside out like tuberculosis or mononucleosis or may occur as a result of a skin infection caused by something like staph or strep bacteria, explains the Merck Medical Manual.

Symptoms

• If you have lymphadenitis, the skin above your infected lymph nodes may feel tender and have a red color, reports MedlinePlus. When you press on the area, your lymph nodes are likely to feel swollen, tender, hard or rubbery, and it is common to develop a fever.

Time Frame

• Lympadenitis may develop into a more serious and even life-threatening infection like sepsis or cellulitis, cautions MedlinePlus. This progression sometimes happens within several hours of the lymph node infection.

Treatment

• To treat lymphadenitis that is fungal in original, doctors rely on anti-fungal medications, while bacterial lymph node infections require treatment with either oral or intravenous antibiotics, according to the Merck Medical Manual. Using a cool compress may also help relieve swelling.

Prognosis

• With treatment, most people recover fully from lymphadenitis within a few weeks or months, explains MedlinePlus.