Dr. Ben Wedro practices emergency medicine at Gundersen Clinic, a regional trauma center in La Crosse, Wisconsin. His background includes undergraduate and medical studies at the University of Alberta, a Family Practice internship at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario and residency training in Emergency Medicine at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center.
Dr. Charles "Pat" Davis, MD, PhD, is a board certified Emergency Medicine doctor who currently practices as a consultant and staff member for hospitals. He has a PhD in Microbiology (UT at Austin), and the MD (Univ. Texas Medical Branch, Galveston). He is a Clinical Professor (retired) in the Division of Emergency Medicine, UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, and has been the Chief of Emergency Medicine at UT Medical Branch and at UTHSCSA with over 250 publications.
The spleen is an organ located in the upper left quadrant of the abdomen just
below the diaphragm and protected under the lower left ribs.
The spleen has a couple of important functions involving blood cells within
the body.
It filters blood and removes old and damaged red blood cells,
bacteria, and other particles as they pass through the maze of blood vessels
within the spleen.
It produces lymphocytes, a type of white
blood cell that produces antibodies and assists immune system.
The
filtration system is part of the red pulp while the white pulp of the spleen
contains the immune functioning cells
Normally, the spleen is a small organ about the size of a small fist or
orange. Splenomegaly describes the situation where the spleen enlarges in size
(spleen+megaly=enlargement).
The spleen enlarges if it is asked to do excessive work in filtering or
manufacturing blood cells, if there is abnormal blood flow to it, or if it is
invaded with abnormal cells or deposits.
Abnormal red blood cells: Since the spleen filters abnormal blood cells and removes them from the
circulatory system, diseases that result in abnormal red cells will cause the
spleen to enlarge. Sickle cell disease,
thalassemia, and
spherocytosis are examples of
diseases that form unusually shaped cells that cannot easily maneuver through
the small blood vessels and capillaries of the body. If they are not removed by
the spleen, these abnormal cells can cause
blood clots and decrease circulation.
However, removing them causes the spleen to swell and enlarge.
Viral and bacterial infection: The spleen is involved in making cells
that fight infection and part of that response is to enlarge. This is commonly
seen in viral infections such as
infectious mononucleosis (caused by the Epstein Barr virus),
AIDS and
viral
hepatitis. Examples of bacterial infections associated with splenomegaly include
tuberculosis, malaria, and
anaplasmosis (formerly known as ehrlichiosis).
Splenic vein pressure/blockage: Blood enters the spleen through the splenic artery and leaves through the
splenic vein. If the pressure within the vein increases or if the splenic vein
becomes blocked, blood cannot leave the spleen and it may swell. Because of the
relationship to liver blood flow, cirrhosis and portal vein obstruction can
cause complications with venous blood flow from the spleen. Congestive heart failure
may cause both the liver and spleen to swell because of increased venous
pressure.
Author: Richard Weil, M.Ed., CDE Medical Editor: Jay W. Marks, MD
Viewer Question: Can you suggest some safe core exercises for someone with an enlarged spleen?
Expert's Answer: Check with your doctor before you do any of these exercises. An enlarged spleen can be serious, and your doctor should give you the okay before you start any exercise program.
"Core" exercises have been the buzzword for some time. Although humans have been using their core muscles since the beginning of time, exercise scientists, physical therapists, fitness trainers, and others have recently been pushing the virtues of exercising the core. What is the core? The core is loosely defined as the spine, abdomen, pelvis, and hips, and the muscles that support these structures for posture and movement.
Congestive heart failure (CHF) is a condition in which the heart's function as a pump is inadequate to meet the body's needs. A poor blood supply resulting
Abdominal pain is pain in the belly and can be acute or chronic. Causes include inflammation, distention of an organ, and loss of the blood supply to an
Anemia is the condition of having less than the normal number of red blood cells or less than the normal quantity of hemoglobin in the blood. The oxygen-carrying
Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacteria. Symptoms include weakness, fever, weight loss, night sweats and
Leukemia is a type of cancer of the blood cells in which the growth and development of the blood cells are abnormal. Strictly speaking, leukemia should
Melanoma is a type of skin cancer which begins in skin cells called melanocytes and affects more than 53,600 people in the United States each year. These
Thrombocytopenia refers to a decreased number of platelets in the blood. There are many causes of thrombocytopenia such as decreased platelet production
Malaria is an infectious disease transmitted by the bite of an infected Anopheles mosquito. Symptoms of malaria include chills, pain, fever, and sweating.
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Hepatitis is most often viral, due to infection with one of the hepatitis viruses (A, B, C, D, E, F (not confirmed), and G) or another virus (such as those
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Sickle cell anemia (sickle cell disease), a blood disease which shortens life expectancy, is cause by an inherited abnormal hemoglobin. Symptoms may include
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Alpha thalassemia is a disorder in which the alpha globin protein is underproduced. There are two pairs of genes that carry the code for the alpha chains
Tularemia (rabbit fever) is an infection caused by the Francisella tularensis bacteria. People can become infected with tularemia by coming into contact
Gaucher disease is caused by an inherited (genetic) defect in an enzyme glucocerebroside. Signs fo Gaucher disease include enlargement of the spleen, fatique,
Sickle cell anemia (sickle cell disease) is a disorder of the blood caused by an inherited
abnormal hemoglobin (an oxygen-carrying protein within the red blood
cells). The abnormal"...
