The spleen is a purple colored organ measuring about 4-5 inches long and located in the upper left quadrant of the abdomen. The spleen is placed intact within the rib cage and hence it cannot be felt easily. The main function of the spleen is to purify the blood and identify and attack allergens and foreign particles. Thus it helps the immune system of the body. The white pulp of the spleen creates blood cells and immune cells and the red pulp purifies the blood and removes dead blood cells.
The spleen can be felt by your doctor when it becomes enlarged or inflamed. Splenomegaly is the medical term used to describe an enlarged spleen. It may cause pain the left abdomen and the pain may progress towards the left shoulder. In some people it may not cause any symptoms and gets detected in a routine physical examination.
Pain :
Any pain felt in the left abdomen cannot be attributed to spleen alone. The spleen lies in close proximity to other organs like stomach, kidney and colon and any abnormality in these vital organs can cause pain in the left upper abdomen. If you have sharp pain in the left upper portion of the abdomen while breathing in or sneezing, it can be due to spleen problem or infection. The pain becomes worse after having large meals since the expanded stomach would exert pressure on the spleen.