Who gets enlarged lymph nodes?
Frequently, children have enlarged lymph nodes. The immune system of a child is constantly being exposed to germs that it has never seen before, and the lymph nodes may swell in reacting to those germs. In contrast, the immune system of an adult has seen most of the common germs, and has developed immunity to them. Therefore, the lymph glands do not need to work so hard, and they are much less likely to become swollen. In fact, a study published in 1975 showed that 100% of children who are under 12 years of age had lymph nodes that could be felt in the neck. top What are the common findings? In children, once a lymph node becomes enlarged, it may stay enlarged for a long time. Sometimes, several lymph nodes can become enlarged at the same time. Usually, the lymph node will begin to decrease in size within two to three weeks, but a little bump (less than 1 centimeter, or 1/4 to 1/2 inches, in size) may be present for months. However, lymph nodes should not continue to grow in size (espe
