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Knot In Neck, Ultrasound Showed Swollen Lymph Node, WBC And Thyroid Normal, Had Norovirus. Is There Anything To Worry About?
Question: A knot on the side of my neck came up 3 weeks ago. They did a ultrasound and said it was a swollen lymph node. They checked my white blood count and thyroid and both were normal and shows no sign of cancer. I haven't had mono, strep. I had the noro virus 6 weeks ago. They said we could do a cat scan to see if anything else is going on. What could be going on and anything to worry about?
Hello,
Thanks for posting your query.
Lymph nodes are part of the immune system that helps in fighting against infections. They are like police man of our body, it pops out whenever there is ongoing infection in the vicinity and become inflamed or enlarged. The conditions may range from trivial infections such as a throat infection, to life-threatening such as cancers.
A swollen lymph node in the neck with normal thyroid levels and blood investigations and no detectable infection could be due to the viral infection you had 6 weeks ago. Sometimes the swollen glands may take even upto 3 months to subside even after the infection is gone.
A minor dental infection or a cavity can cause the lymph nodes to pop up.
If the size of the lymph node is less than 2 cm and there is no change in size for last one month then most likely there is nothing worrisome going on.
A CAT scan will help in detecting any change in its size. Getting a thorough oral examination from your dentist will be helpful in identifying the cause.
Please do not worry. It is not likely to be anything serious.
I hope this answers your query.
In case you have additional questions or doubts, you can forward them to me, and I shall be glad to help you out.
Please accept my answer in case you do not have further queries.
Wishing you good health.
Regards.
Dr. Praveen Tayal.
Thanks for posting your query.
Lymph nodes are part of the immune system that helps in fighting against infections. They are like police man of our body, it pops out whenever there is ongoing infection in the vicinity and become inflamed or enlarged. The conditions may range from trivial infections such as a throat infection, to life-threatening such as cancers.
A swollen lymph node in the neck with normal thyroid levels and blood investigations and no detectable infection could be due to the viral infection you had 6 weeks ago. Sometimes the swollen glands may take even upto 3 months to subside even after the infection is gone.
A minor dental infection or a cavity can cause the lymph nodes to pop up.
If the size of the lymph node is less than 2 cm and there is no change in size for last one month then most likely there is nothing worrisome going on.
A CAT scan will help in detecting any change in its size. Getting a thorough oral examination from your dentist will be helpful in identifying the cause.
Please do not worry. It is not likely to be anything serious.
I hope this answers your query.
In case you have additional questions or doubts, you can forward them to me, and I shall be glad to help you out.
Please accept my answer in case you do not have further queries.
Wishing you good health.
Regards.
Dr. Praveen Tayal.
Note: For more detailed guidance, please consult an Internal Medicine Specialist, with your latest reports. Click here..
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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