Evaluation of etiology of lymphadenopathy in different age groups using Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology: A retrospective study

Abstract

Background: Lymphadenopathy is a common presenting symptom in various diseases. Lymph nodes react to various stimuli and undergo changes leading on to vast array of neoplastic or non-neoplastic proliferations. FNAC is a simple, quick and inexpensive method that is used to sample superficial masses and is now considered a valuable diagnostic aid. Objective: The present study was undertaken to evaluate the usefulness of FNAC as a diagnostic tool in cases of lymphadenopathy, to find the frequency and cause of lymph node enlargement in patients of different age groups and analyze the different cytomorphological patterns associated with various lymphadenopathies.Settings and design: Retrospective study conducted in the Department of Pathology, Subharti Medical College, Meerut from July 2006 to June 2009 (3years).Material and Methods: Total 1350 patients of lymphadenopathy who underwent FNAC were divided into 3 groups: Group I including pediatric patients (i.e. 0-15 years), Group II including adolescent and middle aged patients (i.e. 16-45 years) and Group III with elderly patients (i.e. >45 years).Observation: Maximum number of patients with lymphadenopathy was in Group II with 640 patients (47.4%), followed by Group I: 498 patients (36.89%) and Group III: 212 patients (15.7%). Commonest causes of lymphadenopathy in different groups were found to be: In Group Ireactive hyperplasia 353(70.88%), Group IITubercular lymphadenitis 261(40.78%) and Group IIIMetastatic carcinoma 115(54.25%).Conclusion: It was concluded that different etiological factors play role in causation of lymphadenopathy in different age groups and that aspiration cytology provided a reliable, safe, rapid and economical method of screening these patients with accuracy. Work Attributed To –Department Of Pathology, Subharti Medical College, Meerut ,U.P., India. Financial SupportSubharti Medical College, Meerut, U.P., INDIA.