What Could be Causing Painful Lumps Under Armpits?

What Causes Painful Lumps Under Armpits?

Painful lumps under armpits can have various causes, ranging in severity from 'troubling' to 'critical'. Finding the true cause means ruling out or confirming each possibility – in other words, diagnosis.

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Diagnosis is usually a complex process due to the sheer number of possible causes and related symptoms. In order to diagnose painful lumps under armpits, we could:

Research the topic
Find a doctor with the time
Use a diagnostic computer system.

The process is the same, whichever method is used.

Step 1: List all Possible Causes

We begin by identifying the disease conditions which have "painful lumps under armpits" as a symptom. Here are eight possibilities:

Lymphatic Congestion
Valley Fever (Coccidioidomycosis)
Sarcoidosis
Infectious Mononucleosis
HIV/AIDS
CLL Leukemia
Enlarged Lymph Nodes
Vasectomy Side-Effects

Step 2: Build a Symptom Checklist

We then identify all possible symptoms and risk factors of each possible cause, and check the ones that apply:

fatigue after slight exertion

multiple swollen inguinal nodes

having a CFS diagnosis

Latin / Hispanic ethnicity

history of sinusitis

being at risk of HIV/AIDS

multiple painful cervical nodes

history of non-vaginal candidiasis

significant abdominal distension

nasal congestion

high sensitivity to bright light

frequent swollen axillary nodes

... and more than 60 others

Step 3: Rule Out or Confirm each Possible Cause

A differential diagnosis of your symptoms and risk factors finds the likely cause of painful lumps under armpits:

Cause	Probability	Status
Enlarged Lymph Nodes	97%	Confirm
HIV/AIDS	23%	Unlikely
Lymphatic Congestion	18%	Unlikely
Sarcoidosis	2%	Ruled out
CLL Leukemia	0%	Ruled out
Vasectomy Side-Effects	0%	Ruled out
Infectious Mononucleosis	0%	Ruled out
Valley Fever (Coccidioidomycosis)	0%	Ruled out

* This is a simple example to illustrate the process

Arriving at a Correct Diagnosis

The Analyst™ is our online diagnosis tool that learns all about you through a straightforward process of multi-level questioning, providing diagnosis at the end.

If you indicate recent swollen/painful lymph nodes, The Analyst™ will ask further questions including this one:

UNDER ARMPITS: Do you have any tender or painful lymph nodes here?

Possible responses:

→ Don't know
→ No
→ Often, but not right now
→ 1-2 lymph nodes painful
→ 3 or more nodes painful

Based on your response to this question, which may indicate no painful axillary nodes, frequent painful axillary nodes, painful axillary nodes or multiple painful axillary nodes, The Analyst™ will consider possibilities such as:

Enlarged Lymph Nodes

Enlarged Lymph Nodes also suggests the following possibilities:

Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL)

Consequences of Vasectomy

Sarcoidosis

HIV/AIDS

Infectious Mononucleosis - Mono

Lymphatic Congestion

Valley Fever (Coccidioidomycosis)

... and also rule out issues such as:

Chronic Fatigue / Fibromyalgia Syndrome

Concerned or curious about your health? Try The Analyst™