Lymphadenopathy is swelling of the lymph nodes in the body, usually over 1 cm in size. The causes of enlarged lymph nodes vary from infections, tumors, inflammatory or autoimmune diseases to drugs. As a result, treatment will also differ depending on the original cause. Consulting a doctor is recommended to find the underlying cause and proper treatment.
Enlarged lymph nodes appear with an infection which may be harmless but can also happen with malignant tumors and autoimmune diseases. Lymph node swelling is usually a secondary phenomenon as a reaction of the immune system to an abnormal process in the body.
A lymph node is a small, round or bean-shaped cluster of cells covered by a capsule of connective tissue and is part of our immune system. It contains lymphocytes and macrophages. The causes of lymphadenopathy (enlargement of lymph nodes) include: 1) a bacterial infection such as wound or skin infections or even tuberculosis, 2) a viral infection such as HIV, kissing disease or rubella, 3) medication such as anti-seizure drugs, 4) vaccine allergies, 5) certain cancers such as lymphoma and leukemia and 6) auto-immune or inflammatory diseases that irritate the lymph nodes such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis. People with lymphadenopathy may have symptoms such as a painful or painless lump under the skin, rash, weight loss, enlarged spleen, fever or night sweats. Swelling of lymph nodes is usually noticed in certain areas of the body, such as the neck, under the chin, in the armpits and groin.
The treatment of lymphadenopathy will depend on the cause. It is important to consult a doctor if the affected person notices any swelling around his neck, armpits and groin. Most often it may be caused by a benign viral infection but it is vital to exclude any malignant causes such as a tumor.
Several years of work in academia, medical practice and finally commercialization make it possible to provide an end-to-end process to help users to “find the appropriate medical help based on their present symptoms”. Below you will find a short explanation, showing you which part of the platform will help you best in finding the appropriate medical support.
Proceed as follows to enter your current symptoms.
Click on the appropriate body part on the picture. Select one/multiple symptoms corresponding to your complaint.
You can also add symptoms by typing your medical complaint in the search box and selecting the best matching suggestion.
Note: Your information will be kept anonymously.
Once you have selected all applicable symptoms, click the “analyze disease pattern”-button.
Accordingly, you will get a list of possible diseases and matching doctor categories who can further help you.
You can inform yourself about the possible diseases by reading the related information. But you can also return to the previous step and add more symptoms or delete already added ones to further narrow down your disease pattern.
Click on the desired doctor category to find a doctor who can help you.
If you are logged in with your profile, you will be displayed the appropriate doctors in your area. Otherwise you can enter an address in the “address” field and you will be displayed a doctor’s list around that specified address.
You will receive further information about the displayed doctors when you press on “details”.
Online bookable doctors in your area will be indicated with the notation “Book appointment” or “Book externally”, additionally they will be displayed on top of the list for your convenience.
Click on “Book appointment” to start the online appointment booking process with the desired doctor.
Please select an available appointment. “Green“ appointments are booked directly. “Red“ appointments need to be confirmed by the doctor.
Enter your general personal and health information.
Enter your present medical symptoms.
Enter your mobile phone number to identify yourself and you can finalize the appointment booking.
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