Hello! I have a brother who is a teenager. He is fifteen. He started to have problems with his skin (especially face and shoulders) two years ago. We visited dermatologist and he prescribed some medicines and gels which really helped him. He also changed his nutrition; we introduced more fresh fruit and vegetables in our meals and his condition improved. Few days ago he noticed an abscess on his shoulder, it was red and painful. Then he noticed swollen lymph nodes under his arm. Could abscess be causing swollen lymph nodes?
Hello! Abscesses usually occur if some part of tissue becomes infected by organisms or parasites and our immune system tries to fight it. Since infections cause abscesses and lymph nodes can become swollen from infection it is not strange that lymph nodes swell near the part of the infected tissue. Abscesses can be formed in almost every part of the body. Since your brother has the skin abscess it is easily seen but there are also abscesses in other areas of the body which are not obvious like brain, liver or spinal abscesses. Treatment varies but they are usually treated with antibiotics. Usually the swollen lymph nodes are back to normal in a week or two. If you notice that your brother's lymph nodes become too enlarged, painful or other symptoms as fever or itching occur you should take him to see his doctor.