The lymph nodes may swell to an inch or more in size. Fever and flu-like symptoms such as fatigue, malaise and headache are often present. These symptoms can last weeks to months. Rarely, nodes remain enlarged for as long as 24 months. Cat-scratch disease can occur in other parts of the body.
Some people get the infection on an eyelid or underneath an eyelid.
Other people get a rash over their entire body. Still other people get an infection of the liver or spleen or an infection of the bones or the joints. If you remember that you were bitten or scratched by a cat, your doctor will probably be able to diagnose the illness based on the fact that you were bitten or scratched and then got painful, swollen lymph nodes. In children, CSD is the most common cause of prolonged swelling of lymph nodes in a localized area. When the diagnosis is not clear to your doctor, a blood test may help your doctor make the diagnosis.