| The first question that arises is how a person knows | | | | - Anemia |
| that the spleen is hurting. It is hard to diagnose | | | | - Having a full feeling without eating or after |
| abdominal and chest pains without completely | | | | eating in small quantity because the enlarged spleen |
| investigating what is ailing the patient. A pain felt by the | | | | could be pushing against the stomach. |
| patient particularly in the upper left side of the chest | | | | - Easy bleeding |
| may be linked commonly to the diseases of spleen or | | | | Cause of the swelling in spleen |
| colon. If the pain is felt near the ribs then it may be the | | | | An enlarged spleen may start filtering normal blood |
| spleen which could have been affected. The spleen | | | | cells apart from abnormal blood cells. This can reduce |
| could have been enlarged or may be the place of an | | | | the quantity of healthy cells in the blood and it can also |
| infraction. | | | | trap blood platelets eventually blocking the spleen and |
| The size of spleen | | | | interfering with the normal functions. An enlarged |
| Spleen is an important organ of the digestive system. It | | | | spleen can even excess its own blood supply that can |
| is located on the left side of your abdomen next to the | | | | damage or even destroy sections of the organ. |
| stomach under the ribcage It is a soft and spongy | | | | The change in size of a swelled up spleen may be |
| organ that performs various functions like filtering and | | | | caused by the following: |
| destroying old or damaged blood cells, preventing | | | | - Parasitic infections like malaria |
| infection by producing white blood cells called | | | | - Bacterial infections like syphilis or infection of |
| lymphocytes, storing blood and platelets that help in | | | | heart’s inner lining |
| blood clotting and sometimes acting as an between | | | | - Viral infections like mononucleosis |
| the immune system and the brain. | | | | - Cirrhosis and diseases that affect liver |
| The spleen is normally about the size of a fist but | | | | - Different hemolytic anemia |
| some conditions from infections of liver diseases and | | | | - Metabolic disorders like Niemann-Pick disease and |
| some cancers can cause it to enlarge. A person with | | | | Gaucher’s disease |
| an enlarged spleen may sometimes not show | | | | - Blood cancers like Hodgkin’s disease and |
| symptoms and this condition is discovered often during | | | | leukemia |
| a routine medical examination. When a doctor | | | | - Pressure on veins in spleen or liver or a blood clot in |
| diagnoses it, blood tests and imaging of the patient | | | | these veins |
| have to be taken to determine the cause. | | | | Consulting the doctor immediately |
| Symptoms of Splenomegaly | | | | Even though people with enlarged spleens generally |
| An enlarged spleen may not show symptoms but | | | | feel no pain but they have felt something in their left |
| some people have experienced the following; | | | | side which should not be there. It is a general feeling of |
| - Pain in upper left abdomen that can spread to | | | | discomfort that may affect sleeping and eating habits. |
| the left shoulder. | | | | If one starts feeling pain on the left side of the |
| - Fatigue | | | | abdomen under the ribcage, its better to immediately |
| - Frequent infections | | | | see the doctor and have some tests. |