Swollen Glands: When to Worry

Lymph nodes (“glands”) are part of your immune system. They swell when they’re busy fighting infection, which is why your neck glands often get tender with a cold or sore throat.

Imagine feeling a pea-sized lump under your jaw after a bad sore throat. It’s tender and you’re worried. Two weeks later, as the infection clears, the lump has shrunk and is no longer sore, exactly as expected.

Where you might feel them

The neck, under the jaw, behind the ears, in the armpits and in the groin.

Common causes

• Colds, flu, sore throats and ear infections
• Glandular fever
• Tooth infections
• Skin infections or wounds near the node
• Vaccinations (temporary swelling in the armpit is common)
• Less commonly: tuberculosis, HIV, autoimmune conditions
• Rarely: cancers such as lymphoma or cancers that have spread

What’s usually reassuring

• Soft, small (under about 1 cm), tender and moveable
• Appearing with an obvious infection
• Getting smaller within two to three weeks

But when should I worry?

See a doctor if a gland:

• Is still swollen after two to three weeks, or keeps growing
• Feels hard, fixed in place or painless
• Is above the collarbone
• Comes with night sweats, fever, unexplained weight loss or tiredness
• Appears in several areas at once without a clear cause

Get urgent help for a swollen, red, very painful gland with high fever, or swelling in the neck with difficulty breathing or swallowing.

Sources: NHS (Swollen glands), American Academy of Family Physicians, Lymphoma Action, Mayo Clinic.