Swollen glands
Common causes of swollen glands
Swollen glands are usually caused by a relatively minor viral or bacterial infection, including:
- a Cold
- tonsillitis
- glandular fever
- a throat infection
- an ear infection
- a dental abscess
- cellulitis (a skin infection)
The glands inthe affected areawill often become suddenly tender or painful. You may also have additional symptoms, such as a sore throat, cough ,or fever.
Theseinfections usually clear up on their own, and the swollen glands will soon go down. You will normally just need to drink plenty of fluids, rest and relieve the symptoms at home using over-the-counter medicines such as paracetamol or ibuprofen .
See your GP if your symptoms don't improve withina few weeks.
Medically Reviewed by a doctor on 21 Dec 2018
Introduction
Swollen lymph glands are usually a sign of infection and tend to go down when you recover. However, they can sometimes have a more serious cause.
When to see your GP
See your GP if you have swollen glands and: they haven't gone down within a few weeks or are getting bigger theyfeel hard or dont move when you press them you also have a sore throat and find it d
Common causes of swollen glands
Swollen glands are usually caused by a relatively minor viral or bacterial infection, including: a Cold tonsillitis glandular fever a throat infection an ear infection a dental abscess
Less common causes of swollen glands
Less often, swollen glandsmay be the result of: rubella a viral infection that causes a red-pink skin rash made up of small spots measles a highly infectious viral illnessthat causes distinctive
Could it be cancer?
Occasionally, swollen glands can be a sign of cancer that has started elsewhere in the body and spread to the lymph nodes, or atype of cancer affecting the white blood cells, such as non-Hodgkin lymph
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