What is the reason for half of the neck swelling

There are many possible causes for the symptom of swelling on half of the neck. Some patients are unable to immediately find the real cause of the symptom, so it is very difficult to treat it. There is no way to prescribe the right medicine. In fact, the most likely cause of this symptom is tonsillitis, and this disease requires special attention.

1. Tonsillitis

Acute tonsillitis often has typical clinical manifestations and is not difficult to diagnose, but it should be differentiated from pharyngeal diphtheria, Wensang pharyngitis, leukemia and scarlet fever. There is currently no satisfactory objective diagnostic method for chronic tonsillitis. The diagnosis can be made mainly based on the history of repeated acute attacks, combined with examination showing chronic congestion of the tonsils and palatoglossal arches, yellow-white emboli in the tonsillar pits, purulent discharge from the pits when squeezing the palatoglossal arches, enlarged or shrunken tonsils with scars and adhesions on the surface, etc. Bacterial culture, cytological examination of the pits, and titer determination of serum antistreptolysin "O", anti-hyaluronidase, and anti-streptokinase can be used as a reference for diagnosis.

2. Syphilis

Each stage of syphilis has its own special clinical symptoms and characteristics. If chancre is accompanied by swollen lymph nodes, which are widespread and symmetrical throughout the body, especially if there are macules or papules on the palms and soles without pain or itching symptoms, or if there are moist proliferative maculopapular masses (flat warts) in the genitals accompanied by systemic lymph node enlargement, the possibility of early syphilis should be considered. If the patient has a history of unclean sexual intercourse, the possibility of syphilis is greater. Laboratory tests include Treponema pallidum test and syphilis serological reaction test.

There are many causes of swollen lymph nodes in the neck, so different treatment plans should be selected according to the different causes. If it is lymphadenitis, antibiotic treatment or clinical follow-up is sufficient. If it is lymphadenitis, regular anti-tuberculosis treatment is necessary. If the swollen cervical lymph nodes are caused by a tumor, the primary tumor must be treated to be effective.

Normal superficial lymph nodes in the human body are very small, with a diameter of less than 0.5 cm. The surface is smooth and soft, with no adhesion to the surrounding tissues and no tenderness. When the body is invaded by pathogenic factors, information is transmitted to the lymph nodes. Lymphocytes produce lymphokines and antibodies to effectively kill the pathogenic factors. At the same time, lymphocytes and tissue cells in the lymph nodes reactively proliferate, causing the lymph nodes to swell. The head and neck are rich in lymph nodes, and the neck itself has many lymph nodes. Under pathological and physiological conditions, it can cause lymphoditis of the neck regions.