The causes of unilateral swelling of the neck
As already described, a whole range of diseases can cause swelling of the neck. For this reason, it is first of all important to narrow down the circle of possible causes. This can be done by looking at the exact location of the swelling.
On the side of the neck there are mainly muscular structures. These are rarely involved in the development of swellings. The lymph nodes in the neck region are more likely to be the cause of the swelling.
This is usually an unspecific inflammation of the lymph nodes, which may lead to a painful swelling of the lateral neck and is usually caused by a bacterial or viral infection. Since the lymph nodes of the neck are located in the drainage area of all lymphatic pathways of the head, these infections can originate, for example, in the throat, the paranasal sinuses or any other structure of the head. The enlarged lymph nodes can grow several centimeters in size and remain enlarged long after the infection has subsided. In any case, they should be movable in relation to the surrounding tissue. Otherwise, the possibility of a malignant process must be considered.If the swelling lies directly under the ear on the side of the neck, a disease of the salivary glands or an inflammation of the salivary gland can also be considered as a cause.
The causes of swelling in the front of the neck
In front at the neck, some centimeters below the larynx, the thyroid gland is located. This can be enlarged as a result of various processes, which is then called goiter or goiter. This is, if one considers the entire world population, often the result of an iodine deficiency.
In our society, this occurs relatively rarely due to iodine additives, for example in table salt. Instead, autoimmune diseases such as Graves’ disease or Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, inflammation of the thyroid gland (thyroiditis), cysts or, rarely, certain drugs can be responsible for goiters. Also conceivable are enlarged lymph nodes in the lower neck area as a cause of swelling.
