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Medical Author:

Benjamin Wedro, MD, FACEP, FAAEM

Benjamin Wedro, MD, FACEP, FAAEM

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.

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Medical Editor:

Charles Patrick Davis, MD, PhD

Charles Patrick Davis, MD, PhD

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.

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In this Article

• What is an enlarged spleen?
• What are the causes of an enlarged spleen?
• What are the symptoms of an enlarged spleen?
• When should I seek medical care for an enlarged spleen?
• How is enlarged spleen diagnosed?
• What is the treatment for an enlarged spleen?
• What are the complications of an enlarged spleen?
• Can an enlarged spleen be prevented?
• What is the outlook (prognosis) for an enlarged spleen?
• Enlarged Spleen At A Glance
• Patient Comments: Enlarged Spleen (Splenomegaly) - Cause
• Patient Comments: Enlarged Spleen (Splenomegaly) - Symptoms
• Patient Comments: Enlarged Spleen (Splenomegaly) - Treatment
• Enlarged Spleen (Splenomegaly) Index

An enlarged spleen itself usually causes no symptoms; the symptoms of an underlying disease are often the reason a patient might seek care. These may include weakness and fatigue from anemia, easy bleeding from decreased platelets in the bloodstream, or recurrent infections from poor white blood cell function.

However, as the spleen enlarges, it can press up against the diaphragm, the muscle that separates the chest and abdominal spaces. Diaphragm irritation may refer pain to the left shoulder. An enlarged spleen also can push toward the stomach and cause anorexia or a loss of appetite and a sense of early fullness when eating.

Since the enlarged spleen grows beyond the protection of the ribcage it becomes more likely to be injured, thereby increasing the chance that abdominal pain may occur.

Depending upon the amount of spleen damage after injury, there can be bleeding into the abdomen with associated distention (bloating), pain to the back and shoulder, and signs and symptoms of shock. These can include weakness, shortness of breath, and cool, clammy and sweaty skin.

Most often, the diagnosis of an enlarged spleen is made incidentally by the care provider. There are usually no symptoms that would bring a patient to see a doctor. However, unexplained symptoms like those mentioned above should be investigated by a care provider.