Allergic swelling behind my ears and head

[Dolls66]

Hi, I have recently experienced itchiness and swelling behind my ears (as big as a golf ball) and my head (slightly bigger then a golf ball) and this happened after I once had Sushi and again when I had preserved pickles.  I have been taking Zertec which helps brings the swelling down.
Could this be a sign of an underlying problem?  I am very concerned about this.

Please advise

Thank you

[Paderla Anitha, DNB]

Hello and hope you are doing well.

The swelling could be due to allergen. The other causes could be due to a fungal infection, atopic dermatitis, contact dermatitis and scabies. Usually there is itching and some amount of inflammation with these conditions. It could also be enlarged lymph node/nodes. Lymph are protective mechanisms of the body and they 'trap' the infecting source causing enlargement of lymph nodes. The infection can be from the draining skin or the organs. The other causes for enlarged nodes are tumors or inflammations to name a few. You may need to consult your primary care physician who will examine you and initiate appropriate therapy.

Hope this helped and do keep us posted.

[Dolls66]

Dear Anitha,

Many thanks for your response and advise.  I will contact my local hospital for further advise as I would like to sort this out asap.  I live in Dubai, is there any primary care physician you could recommend?