Adenitis is a general term for an inflammation of a gland. Often it is used to refer to lymphadenitis which is the inflammation of a lymph node.

"Lymph adenitis" or "lymph node adenitis" is caused by infection in lymph nodes. The infected lymph nodes typically become enlarged, warm and tender. A swelling of lymph nodes due to growth of lymph cells is called lymphadenopathy. Types include:

- Neck

- Cervical adenitis is an inflammation of a lymph node in the neck.

- Tuberculous adenitis (scrofula) is a tuberculous infection of the skin of the neck caused by "Mycobacterium tuberculosis". Non-tuberculous adenitis can also be caused by "Mycobacterium scrofulaceum" or "Mycobacterium avium".

- Abdomen

- Mesenteric adenitis is an inflammation of the mesenteric lymph nodes in the abdomen. It can be caused by the bacterium "Yersinia enterocolitica". If it occurs in the right lower quadrant, it can be mistaken for acute appendicitis, often preceded by a sore throat.

According to present research, PFAPA does not lead to other diseases and spontaneously resolves as the child gets older, with no long term physical effects.

However, PFAPA has been found in adults and may not spontaneously resolve.

Cervical lymphadenopathy refers to lymphadenopathy of the cervical lymph nodes (the glands in the neck). The term "lymphadenopathy" strictly speaking refers to disease of the lymph nodes, though it is often used to describe the enlargement of the lymph nodes. Similarly, the term "lymphadenitis" refers to inflammation of a lymph node, but often it is used as a synonym of lymphadenopathy.

Cervical lymphadenopathy is a sign or a symptom, not a diagnosis. The causes are varied, and may be inflammatory, degenerative, or neoplastic. In adults, healthy lymph nodes can be palpable (able to be felt), in the axilla, neck and groin. In children up to the age of 12 cervical nodes up to 1 cm in size may be palpable and this may not signify any disease. If nodes heal by resolution or scarring after being inflamed, they may remain palpable thereafter. In children, most palpable cervical lymphadenopathy is reactive or infective. In individuals over the age of 50, metastatic enlargement from cancers (most commonly squamous cell carcinomas) of the aerodigestive tract should be considered.

Cervical lymphadenopathy can be thought of as "local" where only the cervical lymph nodes are affected, or "general" where all the lymph nodes of the body are affected.

Cigarette smoking, both active and passive, increases the risk of cervical cancer. Among HPV-infected women, current and former smokers have roughly two to three times the incidence of invasive cancer. Passive smoking is also associated with increased risk, but to a lesser extent.

Smoking has also been linked to the development of cervical cancer. Smoking can increase the risk in women a few different ways, which can be by direct and indirect methods of inducing cervical cancer. A direct way of contracting this cancer is a smoker has a higher chance of CIN3 occurring which has the potential of forming cervical cancer. When CIN3 lesions lead to cancer, most of them have the assistance of the HPV virus, but that is not always the case, which is why it can be considered a direct link to cervical cancer. Heavy smoking and long-term smoking seem to have more of a risk of getting the CIN3 lesions than lighter smoking or not smoking at all. Although smoking has been linked to cervical cancer, it aids in the development of HPV which is the leading cause of this type of cancer. Also, not only does it aid in the development of HPV, but also if the woman is already HPV-positive, she is at an even greater likelihood of contracting cervical cancer.

Periodic fever, aphthous stomatitis, pharyngitis and adenitis or periodic fever aphthous pharyngitis and cervical adenopathy (PFAPA) syndrome is a medical condition, typically starting in young children, in which high fever occurs periodically at intervals of about 3–5 weeks, frequently accompanied by aphthous-like ulcers, pharyngitis and/or cervical adenitis (cervical lymphadenopathy). The syndrome was described in 1987 and named two years later.

Long-term use of oral contraceptives is associated with increased risk of cervical cancer. Women who have used oral contraceptives for 5 to 9 years have about three times the incidence of invasive cancer, and those who used them for 10 years or longer have about four times the risk.

Some groups of women have been found to be at a higher risk of developing CIN:

- Women who become infected by a "high risk" type of HPV, such as 16, 18, 31, or 33

- Women who are immunodeficient

- Women who give birth before age 17

A number of risk factors have been shown to increase a woman's likelihood of developing CIN, including poor diet, multiple sexual partners, lack of condom use, and cigarette smoking.

Tuberculous lymphadenitis (or tuberculous adenitis) is a chronic specific granulomatous inflammation of the lymph node with caseation necrosis, caused by infection with "Mycobacterium tuberculosis" or "Mycobacterium bovis".

The characteristic morphological element is the tuberculous granuloma (caseating tubercule). This consists of giant multinucleated cells and (Langhans cells), surrounded by epithelioid cells aggregates, T cell lymphocytes and fibroblasts. Granulomatous tubercules eventually develop central caseous necrosis and tend to become confluent, replacing the lymphoid tissue.

The lesion is usually present in children. Ranulas are the most common pathologic lesion associated with the sublingual glands.

Between 250,000 and 1 million American women are diagnosed with CIN annually. Women can develop CIN at any age, however women generally develop it between the ages of 25 to 35.

Stages of tubercular lymphadenitis:

1. Lymphadenitis

2. Periadenitis

3. Cold abscess

4. 'Collar stud' abscess

5. Sinus

Tuberculous lymphadenitis is popularly known as collar stud abscess, due to its proximity to the collar bone and superficial resemblance to a collar stud, although this is just one of the five stages of the disease. The characteristic morphological element is the tuberculous granuloma (caseating tubercule): giant multinucleated cells (Langhans cells), surrounded by epithelioid cells aggregates, T cell lymphocytes and few fibroblasts. Granulomatous tubercules evolve to central caseous necrosis and tend to become confluent, replacing the lymphoid tissue.

Cervical ectropion is a normal phenomenon, especially in the ovulatory phase in younger women, during pregnancy, and in women taking the oral contraceptive pill, which increases the total estrogen level in the body. It also may be a congenital problem by persistence of the squamocolumnar junction which is normally present prior to birth.

Mucopurulent cervicitis may increase the size of the cervical ectropion.

The etiology of the condition is unknown. Possible but unproven infectious causes are "Klebsiella", polyomaviridae, Epstein–Barr virus, parvovirus B19, and human herpesvirus 6. Jilin University researchers suggested in 2017 that monocytes recruited to inflammatory lesions could produce macrophage colony-stimulating factor, which leads to a complex signal transduction, which leads to the histiocytosis characteristic of Rosai–Dorfman disease.

Smoking and alcohol abuse as the major risk factors. Viral causes has recently been taken under consideration as one of the risk factors. Viruses such as Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) (majorly involved in causing nasopharyngeal carcinoma) and human papilloma virus are included in this category. Chewing of betel nut ("Areca catechu") quid has been directly associated to cause oral cancers. It has also been stated under the FDA poisonous plant data base by the U.S Food and Drug Administration

An unbalanced diet, deficit in fruits and vegetables has shown to increase the risk of cancer.

In 2016 the Histiocyte Society proposed a classification of histiocytoses into five groups designated by letters: "C," "H," "L," "M," and "R." Group "R" included Rosai–Dorfman disease and "miscellaneous noncutaneous, non-Langerhans cell histiocytoses." Rosai–Dorfman disease itself was classified into "Familial," "Classical (nodal)," "Extranodal," "Neoplasia-associated," and "Immune disease-associated" subtypes.

Vaginal intraepithelial neoplasia (VAIN) is a condition that describes premalignant histological findings in the vagina characterized by dysplastic changes.

The disorder is rare and generally has no symptoms. VAIN can be detected by the presence of abnormal cells in a Papanicolaou test (Pap smear).

Like cervical intraepithelial neoplasia, VAIN comes in three stages, VAIN 1, 2, and 3. In VAIN 1, a third of the thickness of the cells in the vaginal skin are abnormal, while in VAIN 3, the full thickness is affected. VAIN 3 is also known as carcinoma in-situ, or stage 0 vaginal cancer.

Infection with certain types of the human papillomavirus ("high-risk types") may be associated with up to 80% of cases of VAIN. Vaccinating girls with HPV vaccine before initial sexual contact has been shown to reduce incidence of VAIN.

One study found that most cases of VAIN were located in the upper third of the vagina, and were multifocal. In the same study, 65 and 10% patients with VAIN also had cervical intraepithelial neoplasia and vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia, respectively.

In another study, most cases of VAIN went into remission after a single treatment, but about 5% of the cases studied progressed into a more serious condition despite treatment.

Cervical stenosis may be present from birth or may be caused by other factors:

- Surgical procedures performed on the cervix such as colposcopy, cone biopsy, or a cryosurgery procedure

- Trauma to the cervix

- Repeated vaginal infections

- Atrophy of the cervix after menopause

- Cervical cancer

- Radiation

- Cervical nabothian cysts

The squamocolumnar junction, where the columnar secretory epithelium of the endocervical canal meets the stratified squamous covering of the ectocervix, is located at the external os before puberty. As estrogen levels rise during puberty, the cervical os opens, exposing the endocervical columnar epithelium onto the ectocervix. This area of columnar cells on the ectocervix forms an area that is red and raw in appearance called an ectropion (cervical erosion). It is then exposed to the acidic environment of the vagina and, through a process of squamous metaplasia, transforms into stratified squamous epithelium.

Studies show a link between HPV infection and penile and anal cancers. Sexually transmitted HPVs are found in a large percentage of anal cancers. Moreover, the risk for anal cancer is 17 to 31 times higher among gay and bisexual men than among heterosexual men

- though one survey did not find a difference between the HPV infection rate of men who had sex with men versus those who had sex only with women.

Anal Pap smear screening for anal cancer might benefit some subpopulations of men or women engaging in anal sex. No consensus exists, though, that such screening is beneficial, or who should get an anal Pap smear.

99% of cervical polyps will remain benign and 1% will at some point show neoplastic change. Cervical polyps are unlikely to regrow.

High-risk carcinogenic HPV types (including HPV 16 and HPV 18) are associated with an increasing number of head and neck cancers.

Sexually transmitted forms of HPV account for about 25% of cancers of the mouth and upper throat (the oropharynx). The latter commonly present in the tonsil area, and HPV is linked to the increase in oral cancers in nonsmokers. Engaging in anal or oral sex with an HPV-infected partner may increase the risk of developing these types of cancers. Oral infection with several types of HPV, in particular type 16, have been found to be associated with HPV-positive oropharyngeal cancer, a form of head and neck cancer. This association is independent of tobacco and alcohol use. In the United States, HPV is expected to replace tobacco as the main causal agent for oral cancer, and the number of newly diagnosed, HPV-associated head and neck cancers is expected to surpass that of cervical cancer cases by 2020.

In recent years, the United States has experienced an increase in the number of cases of throat cancer caused by HPV type 16. Throat cancers associated with HPV have been estimated to have increased from 0.8 cases per 100,000 people in 1988 to 2.6 per 100,000 in 2004. Researchers explain these recent data by an increase in oral sex. Moreover, findings indicate this type of cancer is much more prevalent in men than in women, something that needs to be further explored. Currently, two immunizations, Gardasil and Cervarix, are recommended to girls to prevent HPV-related cervical cancer, but not as a precaution against HPV-related throat cancer.

The mutational profile of HPV-positive and HPV-negative head and neck cancer has been reported, further demonstrating that they are fundamentally distinct diseases.

A ranula is a type of mucocele found on the floor of the mouth. Ranulas present as a swelling of connective tissue consisting of collected mucin from a ruptured salivary gland caused by local trauma. If small and asymptomatic further treatment may not be needed, otherwise minor oral surgery may be indicated.

Cervical stenosis may impact natural fertility by impeding the passage of semen into the uterus. In the context of infertility treatments, cervical stenosis may complicate or prevent the use of intrauterine insemination (IUI) or in vitro fertilization (IVF) procedures.