title: Analysis of children with peripheral lymphadenopathy.
abstract: In this study, the clinical and laboratory features of children with lymphadenopathy were evaluated. Over a 3-year period, 126 patients were referred to the clinic for lymphadenopathy. Twenty-eight of cases have diseases mimicking lymphadenopathy; 98 (mean age: 86+/-55 months) have lymphadenopathy. Localized, limited, and generalized involvement was found in 52%, 30%, and 18% of patients. The most common localization was the head and neck region. The causes of lymphadenopathy were benign diseases in 75 patients. Sixty percent were reactive lymphadenopathy, 39% were lymphadenitis. Lymphadenitis was more frequently localized and bigger than 3 cm compared with reactive adenopathy (p=.02, p=.004). Twenty-three patients have malignant diseases whose mean age was higher than others (p=.002). The enlargement of supraclavicular nodes was more likely due to malignant disease (p=.001). The risk of malignant disease was higher in patients who had generalized lymphadenopathy, lymph nodes bigger than 3 cm, hepatosplenomegaly, and high lactate dehydrogenase levels. In conclusion, this study pointed out the important clues for the differential diagnosis, which were present in the history, physical, and laboratory findings.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Oncology and Pathology, Karadeniz Technical University Faculty of Medicine, Trabzon, Turkey.
authors.forename: Nilgun
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Yaris
authors.forename: Murat
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cakir
authors.forename: Emin
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sözen
authors.forename: Umit
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Cobanoglu
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000473:pathology; D008199:Lymphadenitis / Q000473:pathology; D008206:Lymphatic Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D018190:Neoplasm, Lymphatic Tissue / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology; D008223:Lymphoma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male