Knot behind the earlobe
Especially behind the earlobe, small knots often appear, which can be felt with the bare hand. This is nothing unusual, and at first no reason to worry. Behind the somewhat unwieldy medical term “retroauricular lymph node swelling” is a swelling of the lymph nodes behind the auricle.
Lymph node swelling can be caused by a variety of diseases: Their task is to filter the lymph fluid flowing through the body. If an inflammation occurs in the catchment area of the lymph node, it swells and we can feel it as a small node. This already mentioned one reason for the lymph node swelling behind the earlobe – inflammation in the ear, nose and throat area.
These include tonsillitis, inflammatory processes in the mouth and throat, and inflammation of the parotid gland. The small lumps are usually easily displaced and painful under pressure. This is a good sign, since it is very likely “only” an inflammation.
In contrast, hard, painless and non-displaceable lymph nodes are often a sign of a malignant process, i.e. a tumor. However, a swollen node does not necessarily indicate a disease, so it is all the more important to interpret it in conjunction with other findings. Symptomatic therapy is not indicated in this case, as the node usually disappears when the underlying disease has healed.
Lymph node swelling should be closely monitored if it does not disappear on its own after two to three weeks. Then it may also be necessary to take a tissue sample (biopsy) from the node to gain clarity about the genesis of the swelling. For example, a so-called atheroma may also be present.
These are benign soft tissue tumors that are located in the skin or subcutaneous tissue. In common parlance, the atheroma is also known as “groats bag”, or “semolina node”. Preferred manifestation sites of atheroma are the face, the head and neck area, but also the ears and earlobes.
A distinction is made between the fake and the real atheroma.The false atheroma describes – similar to a pustule – the relocation of several sebaceous glands, and the consequent swelling of tissue, to a “tissue bag”. The real atheroma, on the other hand, refers to scattered epithelial tissue that grows into a tumor. In everyday clinical practice, the two forms are not always clearly differentiated, probably also because of their similarity.
An atheroma can cause pain in the earlobe, a prick, or even a pull. The therapy consists in the removal or opening of the “tissue bag”.
