Swollen lymph nodes in neck one side hurts to swallow

About swollen glands

Swollen lymph glands are usually a sign of infection and tend to go down when you recover. However, they can sometimes have a more serious cause and may need to be seen by a doctor.

Lymph glands (also called lymph nodes) are pea-sized lumps of tissue that contain white blood cells. These help to fight bacteria, viruses and anything else that causes infection. They are an important part of the immune system and are found throughout the body.

The glands can swell to more than a few centimetres in response to infection or disease. Swollen glands, known medically as lymphadenopathy, may be felt under the chin or in the neck, armpits or groin, where they can be found in larger clumps.

Many different types of infection can cause swollen glands, such as a cold or glandular fever. Less commonly, swollen glands may be caused by a non-infectious condition, such as rheumatoid arthritis or even cancer.

Urgent advice: See your GP if you have swollen glands and:

• they haven't gone down within a few weeks or are getting bigger
• they feel hard or don’t move when you press them
• you also have a sore throat and find it difficult to swallow or breathe
• you also have unexplained weight loss, night sweats or a persistent high temperature (fever)
• you don't have an obvious infection and don't feel unwell

If necessary, your GP may request some tests to help identify the cause. These can include:

• blood tests
• an ultrasound scan  
• a computerised tomography (CT) scan
• a biopsy (where a small sample of fluid is taken from the swelling and tested)

Common causes of swollen glands

Swollen glands are usually caused by a relatively minor viral or bacterial infection, including:

• a cold
• tonsillitis
• glandular fever
• a throat infection
• an ear infection
• a dental abscess
• cellulitis (a skin infection)

The glands in the affected area will often become suddenly tender or painful. You may also have additional symptoms, such as a sore throat, cough, or fever.

These infections usually clear up on their own, and the swollen glands will soon go down.

Treating swollen glands

When an infection causes swollen glands you can help to ease symptoms at home by:

• drinking plenty of fluids
• resting
• using over-the-counter medicines such as paracetamol or ibuprofen

Less common causes of swollen glands

Less often, swollen glands may be the result of:

• rubella – a viral infection that causes a red-pink skin rash made up of small spots
• measles – a highly infectious viral illness that causes distinctive red or brown spots on the skin  
• cytomegalovirus (CMV) – a common virus spread through bodily fluids, such as saliva and urine
• tuberculosis (TB) – a bacterial infection spread that causes a persistent cough 
• syphilis – a bacterial infection usually caught by having sex with someone who is infected
• cat scratch disease – a bacterial infection caused by a scratch from an infected cat
• HIV – a virus that attacks the immune system and weakens your ability to fight infections
• lupus – where the immune system starts to attack the body's joints, skin, blood cells and organs
• rheumatoid arthritis – where the immune system starts to attack the tissue lining the joints
• sarcoidosis – where small patches of red and swollen tissue, called granulomas, develop in the organs of the body

Could it be cancer?

Occasionally, swollen glands can be a sign of cancer that has started elsewhere in the body and spread to the lymph nodes, or a type of cancer affecting the white blood cells, such as non-Hodgkin lymphoma or chronic lymphocytic leukaemia.

Swollen glands are more likely to be caused by cancer if they:

• don't go away within a few weeks and slowly get bigger
• are painless and firm or hard when you touch them
• occur with other symptoms, such as night sweats and weight loss

See your GP if your glands have been swollen for more than a couple of weeks. The swelling is probably the result of a non-cancerous condition, but it's best to be sure by getting a proper diagnosis.

Last updated:
29 April 2022

Pain in your neck to the side of your windpipe could be a sign of many minor conditions such as a sore throat, swollen lymph nodes or muscle strains such as whiplash or from bending over and staring at your phone too long.

Rarely, pain in the front of your neck beside the windpipe can be a sign of a heart attack. It’s important to get emergency help for heart attack symptoms like chest pain (though not always); a squeezing feeling in your chest; pain in the neck, back or abdomen; pain in at least one arm; shortness of breath;, cold sweat; and nausea.

Pain in your neck to the side of your windpipe

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Infrequently, tenderness in one of the carotid arteries can become painful.

If the pain is accompanied by a mass on the side of the neck — usually a swollen lymph node — and hoarseness, a cough, difficulty swallowing and squeaky noises when breathing, it’s worth making an appointment with your physician.

Tobacco use is the most important risk factor for head and neck cancers, including throat cancer. Adding moderate or heavy alcohol use to smoking cigarettes, pipes, cigars and other tobacco products increases your risk of head and neck cancer.

“While cigarettes and alcohol are both risk factors for laryngeal cancer, evidence shows that using the two together may create a synergy, as heavy consumption of alcohol and cigarettes has been shown to multiply the risk of cancer in the larynx. Furthermore, we know there is an increase of throat cancers caused by viruses in the past 10 years.” said Aaron C. Spalding, M.D., Ph.D., a radiation oncologist and medical director of the Norton Cancer Institute Head and Neck Tumor Program.

Age is also a risk factor, as throat cancers tend to grow slowly over time.

The larynx, vocal cords or voice box all refer to the front part of your throat that allows speaking and plays a role in breathing and swallowing. The first sign of laryngeal cancer is often a swollen lymph node.

The pharynx is a passageway at the back of the throat that connects the nasal cavity to the esophagus. Symptoms of pharyngeal cancer can resemble cancer in the larynx with soreness on one side, a lump, ear pain and difficulty swallowing.

Cancer in the nasopharynx — the top part of the throat closer to the nasal cavity — often is noticed first as a swollen lymph node in the neck and can cause a stuffy nose, nosebleeds and hearing loss.

At the bottom of the throat, the hypopharynx moves food from the throat to the esophagus. Cancer in this area can cause difficulty swallowing.

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