Peripheral Lymphadenopathy and Infections: Evaluation of 197 Cases

INTRODUCTION: In our study, we aimed to evaluate the causes of peripheral lymphadenopathy (LAP).
METHODS: Patients older than 18 years old who were diagnosed with LAP and underwent peripheral lymph node biopsies between 01.11.2017 and 01.01.2020 were included in the study. The demographic data and histopathological findings of the patients were retrospectively reviewed on the computer database of the hospital.
RESULTS: One hundred ninety-seven adult patients in total were included in the study, 51.27% (n=101) of whom were female. The rates of fever, night sweats, and weight loss symptoms were detected as 8.63%,13.70%,and20.30%, respectively. Excisional biopsy was performed in 93.40%of the patients, and the most frequently excised lymph node was the axillary node at a rate of 40.10%. According to the results of the histopathological analyses, the most common etiology was malignancy, and the second one was infectious, at 31.98% and 29.95%, respectively. Malignancy was caused by lymphoma in 93.65% of the cases, whereas the infectious etiology was caused by tuberculosis at 74.58%. A specific diagnosis could not be made for 26.90% of the cases, and their outpatient follow-up was continued.
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Although LAP is often associated with infections, it also occurs as a manifestation of malignant diseases. In our study, the most common etiology was malignant diseases. Infections were the second most common etiology, and among infections, tuberculosis was the leading one.LAP is a frequently encountered clinical condition that is difficult to manage. To avoid delays in diagnosis, patients should be carefully evaluated and followed closely. Although a specific diagnosis cannot always be made, histopathology remains the gold standard for diagnosis.