Swollen Lymph Nodes Common in Childhood
Sue Hubbard, M.D.

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Swelling of the lymph nodes, known as lymphadenopathy, is quite common during childhood. This is most noticeable in the head and neck area.

Lymph nodes are easy to feel around the jaw line, behind the ears and also at the base of the neck, and parents will often feel them when they're bathing their children. Because young children get frequent viral upper respiratory infections (especially in the fall and winter months), the lymph nodes in the neck often enlarge as they send out white cells to help fight the infection.

In most cases, these nodes are the size of nickels, dimes or quarters and are freely mobile. The skin overlying the nodes should not appear to be red or warm to the touch. There are often several nodes of various sizes that may be noticed at the same time on either side of the neck. It's not uncommon for the node to be more visible when a child turns his/her head to one side, which makes the node "stick out" even more.

Besides the head and neck area, there are many other areas where a parent might notice a child's lymph nodes, such as beneath the armpit (axilla) and in the groin area. It your child has a bug bite on an arm, a rash on his/her leg, or even facial acne, the lymph nodes in that area might become slightly swollen as they provide an inflammatory response.

In most cases, if the lymph nodes are not growing in size and are not warm and red and your child doesn't appear to be ill, you can simply watch the node or nodes for a while. The most typical scenario is that the node will decrease in size as your child gets over a cold or insect bite. If the node is getting larger or more tender, see your pediatrician. Any node that continues to increase in size, or becomes more firm and fixed, needs to be examined.

As a reader named Adrienne noted in her iPhone App email, her child had a prominent node for 7 months. Some children, especially if they're thin, have prominent and easily visible nodes. The nodes may remain that way for years and should not be of concern if your doctor has felt them before and they remain the same size and are freely mobile. Thankfully, benign lymphadenopathy is a frequent reason for an office visit to the pediatrician, and a parent can be easily reassured.

Dr. Sue Hubbard is a nationally known pediatrician and co-host of "The Kid's Doctor" radio show.