Why are laboratory tests essential for diagnosing enlarged lymph nodes?

Question

Hello doctor,

My baby is 7 months old. I found swollen lymph nodes on both sides of the neck two days back. I found two nodes on one side, one on the other side, and also one node in the groin. My baby gets a dry coughs during the night. He got the pneumococcal vaccine three weeks back and had respiratory diseases such as RSV during the fall, and asthma medicine was given. The cough started then. I consulted the doctor, and the doctor prescribed some laboratory tests. Blood tests showed that the B thrombocytes were high by 539, and eosinophil levels were 7.2 %. What does this mean? Kindly give your suggestions.

Answer 1

Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I understand your concern.

Kindly answer the following questions to know more details:

1. Is the baby running a fever currently? if yes, then how many days has it been?

2. Did you notice any rashes on the skin?

3. Are these nodes painful to touch?

4. Is the baby feeding well?

5. Is the baby active?

6. Is the baby passing urine and motion well?

Lymph nodes in the neck and other parts of the body are normal. They are usually difficult to palpate. Any throat infection can make them swollen, and they become visible, and palpable in the neck region. It is not a concern if they are not painful, and not increasing in size and no treatment is required. High thrombocytes need to be monitored. I suggest you repeat the blood tests along with the peripheral smear test and follow up with answers and test results to discuss further. I hope this has helped you out.

Thank you.