Medical Questions » Mouth and Throat Questions » Question No. 691
| Question: | I' ve heard of infected tonsils, but is there such a thing as infected glands? |
| Answer: | What most people think of as glands are actually lymph nodes, which are collections of white blood cells. Lymph nodes are scattered throughout your body, but are concentrated around the neck, in the armpit and groin, and along the back of your belly. Their purpose it to remove infecting viruses and bacteria from the blood stream, and destroy them.
In this task, lymph nodes are spectacularly successful, as we are invaded by millions of germs every day, but only infrequently do we suffer from infection.
If a germ overwhelms the defence mechanisms contained within the white cells of a node, it may become infected. The patient will then suffer from tender, swollen lymph nodes, and a fever. This infection, if caused by a bacteria, can be cured by antibiotics. If caused by a virus (eg. glandular fever, mumps), time and rest are the only cures.
The tonsils are merely lymph nodes that protrude into the back of the throat. Because of their position in the main pathway taken by germs entering the body, they arc more susceptible to infection than most lymph nodes. |
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