You have a marble-sized lump in your armpit. It's been there a week and doesn't hurt. What is it, and should you be concerned?
You may have a swollen lymph node. Lymph nodes are tiny glands throughout your body, clustered under your arms and in the groin, pelvis, neck, chest and abdomen. The lymphatic system also includes the spleen, thymus, tonsils, adenoids, bone marrow and liver. Lymph nodes help to filter out disease-causing organisms and fight infection.
If one or more lymph nodes are swollen, it may indicate an underlying disease, according to the June issue of Mayo Clinic Health Letter. There are many causes of swollen lymph nodes, including viral infections; bacterial infections such as strep throat; connective-tissue disease such as rheumatoid arthritis or lupus; drug reactions, for example, to penicillin or quinidine; and cancer. Among all the underlying conditions, cancer is relatively uncommon.
Swollen lymph nodes may go away on their own in a matter of days. However, if you have a swollen lymph node that has been present a week or longer, is expanding or is associated with signs and symptoms such as a high fever, night sweats or unexplained weight loss, see your doctor.
Mayo Clinic Health Letter is an eight-page monthly newsletter of reliable, accurate and practical information on today's health and medical news. To subscribe, please call toll free 800-333-9037, extension 9PR1.
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