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What Causes A Lump In The Armpit And Weight Loss In A Child?
Question: Hi, my boy is 15 weeks old now. His birth weight was 2.64kg. his weight had increased drastically in the first 2 months. His weights were 4.7 in 6 the week & 5.7 in the 10 the week. But since then his weight gain seems to decrease. At 13 th week it's 5.913 kg & at 15 week it's 6.03 kg. I consulted the paed. She said since the baby has already doubled the birth weight, it's not an issue. But this decrease in weight gain suddenly seems to worry me. He has increased hardly 117 g in the last 2 weeks.Ia exclusively breast feeding him. Also today I noticed a small lump in his armpit ( same arm as the one in which BCG was taken). The doc said it might be bacterial infection though possibility of infection from tb exists. She prescribed antibiotics for a week & asked us to weight. Please advice on this as well.what could this possibly be?
The baby doesn't seem concerned with lump. It's not red either. He has no pain
The baby doesn't seem concerned with lump. It's not red either. He has no pain
Brief Answer:
Explained below,
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Thanks for posting your query in HealthcareMagic,
I have gone through your query and can certainly understand your apprehensive situation,
First let me point out that the weight gain for your baby boy is adequate irrespective of the recent event. Children tend to shed weight due to their change of activities but will soon catch up to the lost weight. Keep continuing to breast feed exclusively.
In respect of the lump in the armpit, ideally, to look for any signs of TB infection, the scar where the vaccination was taken, has to show some changes like swelling, redness, blister formation etc. If the scar has healed properly, there is no need for any further worries. This newly formed lump in the armpit, if not tender, can only be a lymph node probably due to some infection, for which the antibiotics prescribed should be enough.
As long as the baby is active and playful, continue feeding him, no further interventions required at this point of time.
I hope this helps,
Please feel free to discuss further or else kindly close the query and share your positive feedback,
Regards.
Explained below,
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Thanks for posting your query in HealthcareMagic,
I have gone through your query and can certainly understand your apprehensive situation,
First let me point out that the weight gain for your baby boy is adequate irrespective of the recent event. Children tend to shed weight due to their change of activities but will soon catch up to the lost weight. Keep continuing to breast feed exclusively.
In respect of the lump in the armpit, ideally, to look for any signs of TB infection, the scar where the vaccination was taken, has to show some changes like swelling, redness, blister formation etc. If the scar has healed properly, there is no need for any further worries. This newly formed lump in the armpit, if not tender, can only be a lymph node probably due to some infection, for which the antibiotics prescribed should be enough.
As long as the baby is active and playful, continue feeding him, no further interventions required at this point of time.
I hope this helps,
Please feel free to discuss further or else kindly close the query and share your positive feedback,
Regards.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Remy Koshy
Hi doc, usually how many days does it to take for the infection to subside? & What are the reasons for infection​ in armpit area?
Brief Answer:
Kindly see below,
Detailed Answer:
Hi again,
Thanks for writing back,
A swollen lymph node indicates the presence of an active infection in the body. It need not be an infection to the armpit itself. In some cases, especially in children between 2-5 months old, mild complication of BCG vaccination is noted. Mild complication appears as swollen lymph nodes in the axillae, neck or elsewhere in the body. It is bound to resolve by itself within a few weeks time. The use of antibiotics in this scenario is sometimes controversial.
But since your treating doctor recommends taking antibiotics in order to rule out any other possible causes of infection, it is better to continue with it. Like I mentioned earlier, as long as the child is active and playful, I would strongly recommend you to wait and remain positive.
I hope this helps,
Please feel free to discuss further,
Regards
Kindly see below,
Detailed Answer:
Hi again,
Thanks for writing back,
A swollen lymph node indicates the presence of an active infection in the body. It need not be an infection to the armpit itself. In some cases, especially in children between 2-5 months old, mild complication of BCG vaccination is noted. Mild complication appears as swollen lymph nodes in the axillae, neck or elsewhere in the body. It is bound to resolve by itself within a few weeks time. The use of antibiotics in this scenario is sometimes controversial.
But since your treating doctor recommends taking antibiotics in order to rule out any other possible causes of infection, it is better to continue with it. Like I mentioned earlier, as long as the child is active and playful, I would strongly recommend you to wait and remain positive.
I hope this helps,
Please feel free to discuss further,
Regards
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Remy Koshy
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