Enlarged lymph nodes (lymphadenopathy) generally can be due to infection, malignant tumor or an autoimmune disorder. There are several diagnostic procedures used to determine the cause of lymphadenopathy:
1. Patient’s questioning (anamnesis);
2. Clinical examination (inspection, palpation,…);
3. Blood tests (blood count, sedimentation rate, CRP, liver status, kidney status,…);
4. Specific serological tests for infective diseases (tuberculosis, brucellosis, mono, HIV, toxoplasmosis…);
5. Specific serological tests for autoimmune diseases;
6. Imaging procedures (X-ray, ultrasound, CT, MRI);
7. Lymph node biopsy.
The first 3 diagnostic steps are standard while the further diagnostic steps depends upon the results of the previous examinations.
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