Non malignant peripheral lymphadenopathy in Nigerians

Persistent peripheral lymphadenopathy (PL) not associated with malignancy or a focal lesion can pose a diagnostic and therapeutic problem. This study reports the pathological findings in the lymph nodes of 225 patients who presented with PL at the University Hospital, lle-Ife, Nigeria within a period of ten years. Majority of the patients were male, with a male: female ratio of 1.5:1. Patients below the age of 41 accounted for 70.6% of the cases. Children aged 0-15 years accounted for 27.1% of total number of cases. The most common histopathologic diagnosis was chronic granulomatous lymphadenitis (49.3%) with tuberculosis accounting for almost all the cases. Thirty six (32.7%) cases of tuberculous lymphadenitis occurred in children. Other pathological lesions were: chronic non specific lymphadenitis (35.6%) reactive lymphadenopathies (13.3%) and acute lymphadenopathy (1.8%). Toxoplasmosis was the most common cause of reactive lymphadenopathy. Tuberculosis should be suspected and ruled out in patients who present with PL, particularly in rural areas with no access to histopathology services.