Friends of Hermina, if recognized early, the lumps that appear can be treated with appropriate treatment.
Lumps or tumors can appear in any part of the body and this can be caused by birth defects, infection or inflammation, injury, and abnormal growth of body cells. If it doesn't go away, you should be careful. Changes in the lymph nodes, which are often characterized by a lump, are actually a common thing when an infection occurs. But unfortunately these changes can also be an indication of lymphoma or leukemia. Lumps in the limbs in medical terms are known as tumors and can be benign or malignant. Until now, the cause of the majority of tumors in the extremities is still unknown. Tumors in the extremities can originate from soft tissue structures such as muscles, nerves, blood vessels, or from bone structures. The age range of tumor sufferers varies depending on the structure of the tumor's origin, so that some are predominantly affected at a young age and others at an old age.
Symptoms that are often found include the appearance of lumps on the extremities. The development of the size of this lump varies depending on whether the tumor is benign or malignant. If the tumor is benign, it will grow bigger in a matter of years, whereas if the tumor is malignant it will grow bigger in a matter of weeks to months. Other symptoms may include pain or discomfort in the extremities. In cases of malignant tumors, it can be accompanied by other symptoms involving the body's systems, such as decreased appetite, body feeling weak, and weight loss.
We must understand that lumps can be dangerous or not, this can be proven from the results of examinations by doctors and medical support.
The following are criteria related to how to distinguish lumps that are dangerous and those that are not:
1. Time of appearance of the lump
The first way to differentiate between dangerous lumps and not is to know when the lump appears.
Congenital lumps or ones that have been present since birth are usually not dangerous, for example hemangioma. These lumps generally do not require treatment because they will shrink by themselves as you get older.
2. Causes of lumps
Apart from knowing when a lump appears, how to differentiate between dangerous lumps and those that are not can also be known from the cause of their appearance.
Most lumps resulting from injury are simply muscle bruises that appear due to ruptured blood vessels. Generally, lumps caused by bruises will shrink by themselves.
3. Infection of the lump
Lumps due to infection will usually appear in the form of a collection of pus. This condition is also called an abscess or boil. However, don't worry, because abscesses can be treated by taking antibiotics from a doctor or with a minor surgical procedure.
4. Characteristics of the lump
You can also distinguish between dangerous and harmless lumps by their characteristics. A lump that is hard, cannot be moved, has an uneven surface, and grows quickly is usually a dangerous lump so it needs to be seen by a doctor immediately.
5. Symptoms that accompany the lump
If the lump is accompanied by other symptoms, such as drastic weight loss as well as fever and prolonged fatigue, you need to be alert and immediately consult a doctor.
The reason is, lumps accompanied by the symptoms above could be a sign of certain medical conditions, for example cancer.
After knowing how to differentiate between dangerous lumps and those that are not, you are expected to be able to respond to the appearance of lumps. Even though you can identify it yourself using the various methods above, an examination by a doctor is still necessary, especially if the lump looks abnormal. Immediately consult if there is a suspicious lump and make sure not to delay carrying out further examination.