Adenitis

Adenitis is a general term for an inflammation of a gland. It is often used to mean lymphadenitis, the inflammation of a lymph node. Lymph node adenitis is caused by infection in the lymph nodes, which typically become enlarged, warm and tender, and it is separate from lymphadenopathy, the swelling of lymph nodes from growth of lymph cells. The forms named by region include cervical adenitis in the neck, tuberculous adenitis (scrofula) of the neck caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, with a non-tuberculous form that Mycobacterium scrofulaceum or Mycobacterium avium can cause, and mesenteric adenitis, an inflammation of the mesenteric lymph nodes of the abdomen that can be caused by the bacterium Yersinia enterocolitica. Mesenteric adenitis in the right lower quadrant can be mistaken for acute appendicitis, may bring fever, abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting, and most often occurs in children aged 5 to 14. Sebaceous adenitis is a separate form, an inflammation of the sebaceous glands of the skin that normally produce the oily sebum which prevents drying of the skin. This entry records what is known and offers no medical advice.