Question

Swollen Lymph Nodes

Answer 1

Diagnosing Swollen Lymph Nodes
Swollen lymph nodes are lymph nodes that are inflamed. Swollen lymph nodes have a lot of causes and implications, but one thing is common – there is indeed an infection in the body. There are three common ways in diagnosing a person with swollen lymph nodes. These are blood tests, imaging studies and lymph node biopsy.

Blood tests refer to a type of a laboratory test that detects the possible underlying conditions with regards to your health. The type of blood test conducted always depends on what the doctor suspects is the cause of your swollen lymph nodes. When an underlying condition is about swollen lymph nodes, a CBC is the most common blood test done. CBC is also called complete blood count. This is a tool doctors or physicians use to check on your overall health condition. Through a blood test such as a complete blood count, the doctor will also be able to see other disorders in your body. A wide range of diseases can be detected by conducting a CBC. Through this, leukemia or infections may even be diagnosed.

Another way of diagnosing swollen lymph nodes is through imaging studies. One form of imaging studies is a chest X-ray. Another type of an imaging study would be a CT, or computerized tomography scan. These are all classified under imaging studies because the primary tool used to diagnose a disease or disorder is an image. It can be an image of your actual brain or bones. Seeing through the systems in your body through imaging studies such as chest X-ray or CT scan is an effective way to see the actual tumor found in a specific location.

The last of the most common ways of diagnosing swollen lymph nodes is a lymph node biopsy. This is done by opening your skin to get a small sample of your swollen lymph node. A doctor can also take off the whole lymph node. From that, a microscopic examination will be done. Causes will be detected, and treatments will then be suggested.