Q: I am a 31 years old female suffering from cervical lymph node tuberculosis. Is it curable? Is swelling in the cervical lymph nodes indicative of HIV infection?

A:Lymph nodes are considered to be the fortresses that aid immune defense. Lymphadenopathy is the enlargement of one or more lymph nodes as a result of normal reactive effects or a pathologic occurrence. Essentially, the following 5 broad etiologic categories lead to lymph node enlargement: - An immune response to infective agents (e.g., bacteria, virus, fungus) - Inflammatory cells in infections involving the lymph node - Infiltration of neoplastic cells carried to the node by lymphatic or blood circulation (metastasis) - Localized neoplastic proliferation of lymphocytes or macrophages (e.g., leukaemia, lymphoma) - Infiltration of macrophages filled with metabolite deposits (e.g., storage disorders). Cervical lymphadenopathy is a completely curable condition, and if it is due to tuberculosis it can be completely cured by taking AKT. Cervical lymphadenopathy is caused by a number of reasons and HIV is one among them. However, HIV infection presents as generalised lymphadenopathy and not as cervical lymphadenopathy.