![]() Church says most of the patients he sees in an urgent care setting come in with swollen lymph nodes under the jaw and in the neck. Localized swelling of the lymph nodes in one area is typical for acute infections. When lymph nodes swell physicians can use history and physical exam clues to figure out what is wrong, explains Dr. Patients can develop lymph node swelling in one area (localized) or all over the body (generalized). Lymphadenopathy is the clinical term for swollen lymph nodes. The areas where lymph nodes can be most easily felt include the head and neck, armpits, under the jaw, around the collarbone, along the forearm, and in the groin. The human body has hundreds of lymph nodes, but they cluster together in certain parts of the body. The kidney-shaped glands produce lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell that helps the body fight infections. Church says is critical to the immune response. The lymph nodes make up the larger lymph system, which Dr. ![]() “They swell up when you have infections.” Church, MD, an emergency medicine physician at CityMD. “The lymph nodes are like barracks where the soldiers come to stay when there's a war on,” says Adam L. ![]() The size of your lymph nodes is a good indicator that your body is fighting something. Mom wasn't wrong to judge illness this way, and neither are you. She would say something about your glands being swollen, or not swollen, and then decide if you were sick. You might remember those days when you complained of a sore throat, and your mom would feel your neck. ![]()
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