Swollen neck, what are the causes? & bull; hello healthy

Your neck suddenly swells and a lump appears? You should immediately consult a doctor. This is because a swollen neck in the neck can be a sign of certain health problems, from mild to serious. Check out what can be the cause of your neck swelling.

There are various causes of neck swelling

Swollen neck turns out to be of many kinds. Not only do you feel a hard lump in one place, but sometimes they move around when you touch them. Lumps can appear on the surface of the neck, or from the inside of the neck.

Often times, swelling of the neck is mistaken for a deadly disease. However, not all causes of neck swelling are dangerous. Even so, you should still be careful if there is swelling in your neck. Usually, a swollen neck is caused by the following conditions:

1. Mononucleus infection

Swollen neck can be caused by infection with the mononucleus. This infection is caused by the Epstein-barr virus (EBV). Based on an explanation from the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), or the equivalent of the Ministry of Health's Director General for Disease Control and Prevention, EBV is a type of herpes virus.

This virus is transmitted through saliva or fluids from the body of a person who has this infection. This virus can also be transmitted through sexual contact and organ transplants. You can also catch the virus from coughing or sneezing, from kissing, and from sharing food and drink with an infected person.

As soon as they enter the body, the virus will multiply immediately and it can take 4-8 weeks for you to show signs of infection.

People who are at risk of contracting this virus are young people between the ages of 15 and 30 years, students, nurses, and people who have frequent physical contact with large numbers of people every day.

This disease can be characterized by fever, sore throat, headache, tiredness, cold sweats at night, or swollen lymph nodes in the neck and armpit area. Therefore, swelling in the neck can occur if you have this disease.

2. Thyroid nodules

If your neck is swollen, it may be due to thyroid nodules. Thyroid nodules are conditions that cause lumps in the thyroid gland, whether they are hard lumps or they are fluid or soft.

Thyroid nodules are divided into several types, some are cold, warm, or hot. This grouping is based on whether the thyroid nodule produces thyroid hormone or not.

Cold nodules do not produce thyroid hormones, whereas warm nodules work like a normal thyroid gland. Meanwhile, the hot nodules overproduce thyroid hormones.

Even so, thyroid nodules are quite common and harmless. In fact, you may not even notice its presence as long as the nodule doesn't enlarge and push against the trachea.

However, if the thyroid nodule is enlarged, you may be prone to goiter, pain in the back of your neck, difficulty swallowing and breathing, or a hoarse voice.

3. Goiter

If there is a lump in the neck, many people usually refer to it as goiter. In fact, this condition is caused by a lump in the thyroid gland.

Well, but in fact this goiter itself can be caused by various other health problems, for example, hypothyroidism, euthyroidism, and hyperthyroidism.

The following are the causes of goiter that often occur:

Endemic goiter

Goiter is caused by a deficiency in iodine, a mineral needed by the thyroid gland.

Sporadic goiter

Non-toxic goiter. This type is usually caused by treatment using lithium. Lithium is commonly used to treat illnesses such as bipolar disorder. This goiter does not affect the production of thyroid hormones and the thyroid is still working properly.

Graves' disease

a disease caused by a disturbance in the immune system. Usually, this disease causes hyperthyroidism which causes the thyroid gland to overproduce hormones. When there is an excess amount of hormones, the thyroid gland will enlarge and cause a swollen neck.

Hashimoto's disease

Additionally, goiter may occur due to Hashimoto's disease, in which the thyroid gland does not produce adequate amounts of thyroid hormone, leading to hypothyroidism.

4. Lymph nodes are swollen

Usually, lymph nodes swell due to infection, reaction to treatment, to stress response.

However, swelling may also occur due to cancer or an autoimmune-related disease. Swollen neck caused by swollen glands is usually not felt. Lymph nodes are considered swollen if they are up to 1-2 centimeters larger than their original size.

According to Healthline, if you experience this, not only is the neck swollen, but you will find other lumps in the armpits, under the chin, on the thighs, or above the collarbone.

5. Mumps

If you suddenly experience lumps and swelling in your neck, you may be suffering from mumps. This disease is caused by a virus that is transmitted through saliva, mucus, and other physical contact. This condition generally attacks the salivary glands, which produce saliva or saliva.

If the salivary glands are exposed to this virus, it will generally cause swelling of the glands. This then makes your neck look like a lump.

Symptoms of mumps are almost similar to flu, so many are confused with this condition. Apart from a swollen neck, you will also feel tired easily, body aches, headaches, loss of appetite, and fever.

The swelling of the gland is also not immediately large, but gradually gets bigger, followed by the pain that gets worse.

6. Hodgkin's disease

This disease is a type of lymphoma or blood cancer that attacks the lymph system. This system helps the immune system to fight viral infections and germs.

If in normal people white blood cells will be the main shield in fighting disease, unfortunately in people with Hodgkin's disease this is not the case. The patient's white blood cells actually grow and spread too fast. Finally, the body is even overwhelmed in fighting infectious diseases.

The most common symptom of this disease is swollen lymph nodes, which cause lumps under the skin. This lump usually appears on the side of the neck, armpits, or thighs. Even so, this lump was not painful.

7. Thyroid Cancer

Thyroid cancer is one possible cause of swelling in the neck. This cancer occurs when normal cells in the thyroid gland become abnormal and begin to grow out of control.

Symptoms of this cancer include a lump in the throat, cough, persistent hoarseness, pain in the throat or neck, difficulty swallowing, swollen lymph nodes in the neck, and thyroid nodules or solid lumps in the thyroid gland.

People who are at risk of developing thyroid cancer are people who have a family history of thyroid cancer, have a history of breast cancer, or who have a history of allergies to radiation exposure.

Usually this disease attacks a woman after turning 40 years of age and over.