UrgentEmergency Guide
Swollen lymph nodes: Red Flags & Emergency Signs
Persistent lymphadenopathy (>6 weeks) without apparent infection requires urgent investigation to exclude lymphoma, leukaemia, or metastatic cancer.
🚨 Call 999 / 112 Immediately
- ⚠Rapidly enlarging neck lymph nodes with stridor — lymphoma causing airway compression
- ⚠Generalised lymphadenopathy with fever, weight loss, and night sweats — B symptoms of lymphoma (urgent haematology)
⚡ See a Doctor Today
- •Lymphadenopathy lasting more than 6 weeks without infective cause
- •Lymphadenopathy with fever, night sweats, and weight loss (B symptoms)
- •Supraclavicular lymphadenopathy — high association with thoracic or abdominal malignancy
- •Lymphadenopathy in a patient with HIV — MAI, lymphoma, Kaposi's sarcoma
High-Risk Combinations
When swollen lymph nodes occurs together with any of these symptoms, urgency increases significantly:
Conditions to Rule Out Urgently
FBC, LDH, CT PET scan; lymph node biopsy
Leukaemiaurgent
FBC + blood film; bone marrow aspirate
Metastatic Cancerurgent
CT chest/abdomen/pelvis; PET scan; primary site identification
Condition Authority Pages
Differential diagnosis analyses:
Side-by-side comparisons:
When to Call Emergency Services
- →Rapidly enlarging lymph nodes causing stridor or dysphagia