Swollen (Enlarged) Lymph Nodes Overview

Lymph nodes which are also called lymph glands, becomes swollen as a result of infection from bacteria or viruses. Swollen or enlarged lymph nodes (lymphadenopathy) is usually a sign that the body’s immune system is fighting an infection or disease. Rarely, swollen lymph nodes are caused by cancer. 

Lymph nodes are part of the body’s lymphatic system and play a vital role in the body’s ability to fight off Infections. The Lymphatic system is the body’s system of balancing the fluid levels. The lymphatic system consists of a network of tissues, vessels and organs that work together to move a colorless, watery fluid called lymph back into the body’s circulatory system or the bloodstream.

Lymph nodes function as filters, trapping viruses, bacteria and other causes of illnesses before they can infect other parts of the body.

Common areas where swollen lymph nodes may be noticed include the neck, under the chin, in the armpits and in the groin. There’s a network of about 600 lymph nodes in the body mostly located in the abdomen, arms, jaw and the legs.

Signs and Symptoms Swollen (Enlarged) Lymph Nodes

The main symptom of swollen lymph nodes is when lymph nodes themselves become enlarged. Consequently, this may feel uncomfortable, and there may be mild to moderate pain in the area affected.

For example, your neck may hurt or feel tight if the lymph nodes under your jaw or to the side of your neck become enlarged. Likewise, your armpits may hurt, and you may feel sore when moving your arms if the lymph nodes in your armpits are enlarged.

Furthermore, it’s common to experience other symptoms alongside swollen lymph nodes. Generally, these symptoms aren’t directly caused by the swollen lymph nodes; rather, they are signs that your body is fighting off an infection.

Specifically, coughing, sneezing, sore throat, and fever are very common when your lymph nodes are swollen. Additionally, other symptoms may include chills, body aches, a runny nose, and sweating. Finally, if the lymph nodes on either side of your groin swell, walking or bending over may be painful.

Causes of Swollen (Enlarged) Lymph Nodes

The lymph nodes get larger when more blood cells come to fight off an invading infection and illness. They all essentially pile in, causing pressure and swelling. Usually the lymph nodes swelling occurs close to the infection’s location.

Following are some of the common causes of swollen (enlarged) lymph nodes:

  • Ear infection’s
  • Infection’s (Respirator and sinus infection’s)
  • Infected (abscessed) tooth
  • Bacteria
  • Viruses
  • Cold and Flu
  • Mononucleosis
  • Measles
  • Skin wounds (cellulitis)
  • Strep throat
  • Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the virus that causes AIDS

Other Infection’s

  • Cat scratch fever (a bacterial infection from a cat scratch or bite)
  • Sexually transmitted infection’s (Syphilis)
  • Tuberculosis
  • Toxoplasmosis (a parasitic infection resulting from contact with the feces of an infected cat or eating undercooked meat)

Immune System Disorders

  • Lupus (a chronic inflammatory disease that targets your joints, skin, kidneys, blood cells, heart and lungs)
  • Rheumatoid Arthritis (a chronic inflammatory disease targeting the synovium which is a tissue that lines the joints.

Cancers

  • Lymphomas (cancer that originates in the lymphatic system.
  • Leukemia (cancer of your body’s blood-forming tissue, including your bone marrow and lymphatic system).
  • Other cancers that have spread (metastasized) to lymph nodes.

 

Biospecimens

biospecimens

Bay Biosciences is a global leader in providing researchers with high quality, clinical grade, fully characterized human tissue samples, bio-specimens, and human bio-fluid collections.

Moreover, human biospecimens are available including tumor tissue, serum, plasma and PBMC Samples from most other therapeutic areas.

Furthermore, Bay Biosciences maintains and manages its own biorepository, the human tissue bank (biobank) consisting of thousands of diseased samples (specimens) and likewise normal healthy donors for controls. Additionally, available in all formats and types.

In fact, our biobank procures and stores fully consented, de-identified and institutional review boards (IRB) approved human tissue samples, human biofluids such as serum samples, plasma samples from various diseases and matched controls.

Also, all our human tissue collections, human biospecimens and human biofluids are provided with detailed, samples associated patient’s clinical data.

In fact, this critical patient’s clinical data includes information relating to their past and current disease, treatment history, lifestyle choices, biomarkers, and genetic information.

Additionally, researchers find the patient’s data associated with the human biospecimens extremely valuable and use it to help identify new effective treatments (drug discovery & development) in oncology, as well as in other therapeutic areas and diseases.

Bay Biosciences banks wide variety of human tissue samples and human biological samples, including fresh frozen human biospecimens cryogenically preserved at – 80°C.

For example fresh frozen tissue samples, tumor tissue samples, formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE), tissue slides, with matching human bio-fluids, whole blood and blood-derived products such as human serum, human plasma and human PBMCs.

Bay Biosciences is a global leader in collecting and providing human tissue samples according to the specified requirements and customized, tailor-made collection protocols.

Please contact us anytime to discuss your special research projects and customized human tissue sample requirements.

Types of Biospecimens

Bay Biosciences provides human tissue samples (human specimens) and human bio-fluids from diseased and normal healthy donors which includes:

  • Firstly, peripheral whole-blood
  • Secondly, amniotic fluid
  • Thirdly, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BAL)
  • Next, sputum
  • Also, pleural effusion
  • Moreover, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)
  • Likewise, serum (sera)
  • In addition, plasma
  • Moreover, peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) 
  • Furthermore, saliva
  • Next, buffy coat
  • Accordingly, urine
  • For example, Stool samples
  • Also, aqueous humor
  • And, vitreous humor
  • Lastly, kidney stones (renal calculi)
  • Finally, other bodily fluids from most diseases including cancer.

Moreover, we can also procure most human biospecimens and human biofluids, special collections and requests for human samples that are difficult to find. All our human tissue samples and human biofluids are procured through IRB-approved clinical protocols and procedures.

In addition to the standard processing protocols, Bay Biosciences can also provide human biofluids such as  human plasma, human serum, and human PBMCs bio-fluid samples using custom processing protocols. you buy donor-specific collections in higher volumes and specified sample aliquots from us in multiple format and sets.

Bay Biosciences also provides human biospecimens from normal healthy donors; volunteers, for controls and clinical research, Contact us Now.