Neck stiffness and torticollis may accompany cervical adenopathy. Mediastinal adenopathy may cause stridor, cyanosis, dyspnea, dysphagia, cough, pleural effusion, facial edema, and venous congestion. Mesenteric and retroperitoneal adenopathy may be characterized by abdominal pain. Iliac adenitis may cause abdominal pain, tenderness, especially above Poupart ligament, and limping. Generalized lymphadenopathy in a child with tuberculosis may indicate a hematogenous spread of tubercle bacilli.
Localized involvement is most common in the mediastinal, mesenteric, or anterior cervical nodes.
Chronic localized adenopathy is usually attributable to a persistent regional infection. Skin and scalp conditions Occipital and postauricular adenopathy may accompany infections, seborrheic dermatitis, or scalp pediculosis. Epitrochlear and axillary lymphadenopathy may result from infections on the arms, whereas inguinal and femoral adenopathy may be secondary to those on the lower extremity. The primary lesion in patients with tularemia may be accompanied by regional adenopathy, most commonly cervical. Yersinia enterocolitica may cause cervical adenopathy.