Summary
Differentials
Common
- Infectious mononucleosis (Epstein-Barr virus)
- HIV
- Adenovirus
- Cytomegalovirus (CMV)
- Herpes zoster (shingles)
- Streptococcal pharyngitis
Uncommon
- Non-Hodgkin lymphoma
- Hodgkin lymphoma
- Metastatic solid tumor
- Drug-associated lymphadenopathy
- Serum sickness
- Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD)
- Human T-lymphotropic virus 1 (HTLV-1)
- Mumps
- Measles
- Hepatitis B
- Hepatitis C
- Cat scratch disease
- Tuberculosis (TB)
- Leprosy
- Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare (MAI)
- Syphilis
- Tularemia
- Brucellosis
- Rocky Mountain spotted fever
- Histoplasmosis
- Coccidioidomycosis
- Cryptococcosis
- Lymphogranuloma venereum (LGV)
- Toxoplasmosis
- Leishmaniasis
- Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Dermatomyositis
- Sjogren syndrome
- Sarcoidosis
- Crohn disease
- Kawasaki disease (KD)
- Castleman disease (angiofollicular lymph node hyperplasia)
- Kikuchi disease (histiocytic necrotizing lymphadenitis)
- Inflammatory pseudotumor
- Progressive transformation of germinal centers
- Rosai-Dorfman disease (sinus histiocytosis with massive lymphadenopathy)
- Rubella
- Genital herpes
- Chancroid
- Leptospirosis
- Silicosis
- IgG4-related disease
- Mpox
Contributors
Authors
Jennie Y. Law, MD
Associate Professor of Medicine
Division of Hematology/Oncology
Department of Medicine
University of Maryland School of Medicine
Baltimore, MD USA
Disclosures
JYL declares that she has no competing interests.
Acknowledgements
Dr Jennie Y. Law would like to gratefully acknowledge Dr Michael E. Bromberg and Dr Efrat Dotan, previous contributors to this topic. MB and ED declare that they have no competing interests.
Peer reviewers
Daniel Hodson, BM BCh
Principal Investigator, Medical Research Council Clinician Scientist
Honorary Consultant Haematologist
Wellcome-MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute
University of Cambridge, Department of Haematology
The Jeffrey Cheah Biomedical Centre
Cambridge Biomedical Campus
Cambridge
UK
Disclosures
DH has received a research funding scholarship from Gilead Sciences.
Paneesha Shankaranarayana, MBBS
Consultant Hematologist
Heartlands Hospital
Birmingham
UK
Disclosures
PS declares that she has no competing interests.
Rebecca Connor, MD
Chief Fellow
Section of Hematology and Oncology
Department of Internal Medicine
Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center
Winston-Salem
NC
Disclosures
RC declares that she has no competing interests.
Han Myint, MD, FRCP, FRCPath
Professor of Medicine
Director
Hematology Malignancies and Blood & Marrow Transplant Program
University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center
Denver
CO
Disclosures
HM declares that he has no competing interests.
Peer reviewer acknowledgements
BMJ Best Practice topics are updated on a rolling basis in line with developments in evidence and guidance. The peer reviewers listed here have reviewed the content at least once during the history of the topic.
Disclosures
Peer reviewer affiliations and disclosures pertain to the time of the review.
References
Key articles
Habermann TM, Steensma DP. Lymphadenopathy. Mayo Clin Proc. 2000 Jul;75(7):723-32. Abstract
Pynnonen MA, Gillespie MB, Roman B, et al. Clinical practice guideline: evaluation of the neck mass in adults. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2017 Sep;157(suppl 2):S1-30.Full text Abstract
Reference articles
A full list of sources referenced in this topic is available to users with access to all of BMJ Best Practice.
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