Peripheral Lymphadenopathy in Childhood: Single Center Study

Abstract

Purpose: To define the clinical and laboratory findings of lymphadenopathy (LAP) resulting from benign and malignant causes during childhood. Material and Methods: 224 patients who were admitted to the clinic with peripheral lymphadenopathy were evaluated. Patient age, gender, laboratory and radiologic results, final diagnoses, and duration, localization, size, consistency, spread, and accompanying local and systemic symptoms of lymphadenopathy were determined. Lymphadenopathy in patients with benign and malignant causes were compared. Results: One hundred twenty-six of 224 patients (56.0%) were male and 98 (44.0%) were female. The analysis comprised 224 patients divided into 2 groups. The first group included 186 patients with benign causes and the second group included 38 patients with malignant causes. The most frequent cause of local lymphadenopathy in the benign group was acute lymphadenitis (34.8%), the most common cause in the malignant group was Hodgkin's lymphoma (4.3%). The most significant cause of general lymphadenopathy in the benign group was EBV (10.0%), whereas Hodgkin's lymphoma (23.3%) was most influential in malignant cases The results revealed that findings, such as chronic course, general lymphadenopathy, supraclavicular and cervical location, organomegaly, abdominal lymphadenopathy, weight loss, constitutional symptoms (night sweats or fatigue, anemia, thrombocytopenia, and leucopenia) were associated with malignant diseases. Conclusion: Infections are the most common cause of lymphadenopathy among benign diseases. Malignant causes and tuberculosis should be considered in older patients, chronic lymphadenopathy, general lymphadenopathy, associated organomegaly, abnormal laboratory findings, and the presence of constitutional symptoms. Cervical lymphadenopathy was most frequent in patients with local and general lymph node enlargement. [Cukurova Med J 2015; 40(3.000): 418-429]

Keywords

• Children
• lymphadenopathy