Painful Lymph Node Inflammation Due To Insect Bite

Posted on Wed, 30 May 2012

Question: My 12 year old son was stung by a honey bee on his scalp yesterday and this am he has a hard slightly painful lump behind the upper half each ear (one is larger than the other). Are these related? I am beyond worried.

Answered by Dr. Pragnesh Vachharajani (1 hour later)

Hi,

Thanks for posting your query.

1. Normally an insect bite produce inflammatory / allergic response which can be localised or generalised. The swelling that you notice currently may be due to body response to the sting.

2. At times this kind of inflammation can lead to enlargement of lymph nodes in that area which is usually on the same side and very rarely bilateral.

3. Sometimes the swelling could be due to other infective conditions like infection in throat, ears etc.

Analgesic and anti allergic tablets might help him now. Do not message the area.

Please watch out for fever and increase in size of swelling.

In case anything like this happen, it is better that your consult your primary care physician.

As it is more than 24 hours since the sting, there is nothing much to worry about. He should fine in a few days/

I hope this answer is reassuring and helpful to you. If you have any clarifications, I will be glad to clear them.

Regards,

Dr.Pragnesh

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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Prasad