ABSTRACT
The commonest cause of a swelling in the neck is enlargement of a lymph node. Even if only one node is clinically palpable, adjacent non-palpable nodes are often also affected.
The main causes of cervical lymphadenopathy are:
• Infections: usually tonsillitis, glandular fever or upper respiratory tract infections (URTI), mouth infections and occasionally HIV, toxoplasmosis, syphilis or tuberculosis.
