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Does swelling in cervical lymph nodes indicate HIV infection?

Prof S Parija
Professor & Head,
Dept. Of Microbiology, JIPMER, Pondicherry

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.