- Lymphadenitis develops after your immune systems become inflamed from a bacterial, viral or fungal infection. These infections may be an illness that affects your body from the inside out like tuberculosis or mononucleosis or may occur as a result of a skin infection caused by something like staph or strep bacteria, explains the Merck Medical Manual.
- If you have lymphadenitis, the skin above your infected lymph nodes may feel tender and have a red color, reports MedlinePlus. When you press on the area, your lymph nodes are likely to feel swollen, tender, hard or rubbery, and it is common to develop a fever.
- Lympadenitis may develop into a more serious and even life-threatening infection like sepsis or cellulitis, cautions MedlinePlus. This progression sometimes happens within several hours of the lymph node infection.
- To treat lymphadenitis that is fungal in original, doctors rely on anti-fungal medications, while bacterial lymph node infections require treatment with either oral or intravenous antibiotics, according to the Merck Medical Manual. Using a cool compress may also help relieve swelling.
- With treatment, most people recover fully from lymphadenitis within a few weeks or months, explains MedlinePlus.