Temporary enlargement of the axillary lymph nodes, or lymphadenopathy, appears to be very common in those who have received an mRna vaccine. It is a “reactive” lymphadenopathy like that which occurs when you have a toothache, but which is also frequently observed with the flu vaccination every year: the lymph nodes swell in response to an ongoing inflammatory process and they do not have the characteristics related to the presence of a tumor.
Covid vaccines and swollen lymph nodes: is it necessary to postpone mammography?
by Tiziana Moriconi
“According to the preliminary data that we are collecting in our institute, with the coordination of Dr. Elena Azzolini, the reaction is observed in 2% of cases after the first dose, and in 7% of cases after the second dose”, he explains Carlo Selmi, head of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology at Irccs Humanitas in Rozzano and professor of Internal Medicine at Humanitas University: “The enlargement can appear more frequently within the first week after inoculation and resolves quickly, after a few days, without any consequences . A clinical check-up may be recommended if the enlargement persists for more than six weeks ”. It occurs more often in the axillary lymph nodes, particularly in the arm where the inoculation was carried out, but it has been described, albeit more rarely, in other parts of the body as well, explains the immunologist.
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Covid vaccine and swollen lymph nodes: the answers to your questions
But why does this happen and what does it mean? “In the lymph nodes – Selmi replies – there is a sort of ‘training of our lymphocytes’ and the recognition of ‘foreign particles’ (what biologists call antigens, such as the Spike protein of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, ed.). In other words, the lymph nodes are a sort of first encampment of our immune defenses ”. The Spike proteins – which our cells begin to produce after the vaccine – are ‘harvested’ and carried to the germinal areas of the lymph nodes, where they are ‘presented’ to the B lymphocytes, which will then produce the specific antibodies. “Again on the basis of our preliminary data – concludes Selmi – the appearance of lymphadenopathy is associated with a higher antibody response in terms of immunoglobulin G (IgG) against the virus: a sort of signal that the body is preparing its defense against the coronavirus “.
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