Resolved question:
I can feel the presence of some small glands in the left part of my body. For example, they are on the left part of my rib cage, left waist, left belly, left thigh (back and front side), around the left knee area. I can feel them when I press the screen with my finger. These are very similar to those which I have on my throat and groin areas from childhood. The problem is I feel mild discomfort on these areas. During cold, especially in the winter season this discomfort is found to slightly increase. I am worried whether these are normal or needs treatment. Please advice.
Submitted:
4 Days
Category:
Internal Medicine Specialist
Thank you for using Ask a Doctor Service from Doctor Spring. I can understand your problem, and will try to help you the best possible. The swollen glands are most probably the lymph nodes. Your lymph nodes are small, round, or bean-shaped masses of tissue. They are part of the lymphatic system that helps your body fight infection and disease. Swollen glands are a sign that your body is battling an infection. Lymph nodes will swell up when the body suspects there’s an infection even if there’s not really one there. Frequently, they swell up when there’s irritation of the area when no infection is present.However, it is important to rule out other causes for such generalised lymph node swelling at various parts of the body such as infections and blood related diseases. So I would recommend you to consult with a GP, who will be able to diagnose the cause for these swollen glands by examining you. Also it might be the case that you will be asked to do certain investigations like blood tests for peripheral smear, complete blood count, differential count, and Fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) if the Doctor insists. These tests will help to confirm that the swollen glands are lymph nodes and also further to identify the cause for such swelling. Hope this helps. Feel free to ask if you have further queries. Thank you.