Mesenteric Adenopathy and Adenitis

Mesenteric adenopathy and adenitis are common causes of abdominal pain, requiring emergency admission to hospital. The term mesenteric adenitis is generally used to denote painful lymphadenopathy due to viral infection and is mostly associated with self-limiting viral infections. However, mesenteric adenopathy and adenitis can be associated with infection with SARS-Cov-2 or the human immunodeficiency virus in which setting these have a particularly poor prognosis. Recent advances in our understanding of the mesentery and the organisation of the human body shed new light on the position of mesenteric adenopathy and adenitis in disease in general. Both these abnormalities of the mesentery are observed in most diseases of the abdomen. The frequency with which they are observed means there is an increasing need to scientifically and clinically investigate both. Improved understanding of mesenteric adenopathy and adenitis is likely to greatly enhance our understanding of abdominal and systemic diseases in general.