Spleen is found under your ribs on the upper left portion of the abdomen. This organ forms part of lymph system and does the duty of drainage work, protecting your body from infection. Blood cells are produced in the spleen and it stores iron in the hemoglobin for further usage. It also removes dirt and dead tissue from the blood making it pure when it circulates in your body. When the spleen becomes enlarged, it can be felt by your doctor, during physical examination.
Spleen Pain Causes :
- Swelling of spleen is called splenomegaly. It can be caused by liver diseases, infections and blood related problems and also irregularity in the lymph system.
- Certain infections like mononucleosis (caused by virus), toxoplasmosis (caused by parasite) and endocarditis (caused by bacteria) may cause pain in the spleen.
- Sickle cell anemia is a genetic disorder in which the blood cell takes the shape of a sickle and people with this problem may get spleen pain. The sickle cells are capable of blocking the blood vessels in the spleen, making it without oxygen. Patients with leukemia (cancer) in which large number of white blood cells are produced with hairs and they gradually fill up the spleen and liver, making it inflamed.
- Lymphoma is a type of cancer on the lymph tissue attacks the blood cells in the spleen making it enlarged.
- Other causes of spleen pain include cyst in the ovary, inflammatory diseases, a large abscess caused by bacteria and trauma during sports events.
Symptoms of Spleen pain :
Usually symptoms are rare and the individual will not feel pain until the spleen gets enlarged. Some of the symptoms reported are discomfort and fullness feeling in the abdomen (more particular after a meal), fatigue, weight loss and frequent infections. Tenderness in the abdomen is felt by some persons. In case the spleen ruptures, there may be internal bleeding with lowered blood pressure, which needs immediate medical attention.
Pictures of Spleen Pain :
Images, Pics, Pictures and Photos of Spleen Pain
Diagnoses :
Your doctor will identify the enlarged spleen, on touching your stomach area. He may also ask you to do blood tests, ultrasound scan, or CT scan.
Treatment :
The underlying cause of the symptom is to be identified and treated for pain in spleen. An enlarged spleen definitely requires treatment either by medications or by surgery, depending on the intensity of the damage caused to spleen. Vaccines are given to prevent infection after removal of spleen. Surgery will be done if the infection is very severe and is normally done through laparoscopy, making small incisions. It is necessary to take care after the surgery for not getting repeated infection. Avoid taking part in sports activities for some time.