Spleen Diseases

Greetings my dear friends of Steemit and Healthy Steem

Wikipedia

what do you know about them?

THREE PRIMARY CAUSES OF SPLENOMEGALY ALSO KNOWN AS ENLARGED SPLEEN ARE:

CONGESTION

INFILTRATION

PROLIFERATION

Congestion

First let's look at congestion. Increased blood pressure in the splenic vein can cause a cascade of congestion, hyperplasia and fibrosis in the spleen.

This can be due to direct occlusion of the splenic vein such as in a splenic vein thrombosis (a complication of pancreatitis) or any pathology that causes portal hypertension - such as cirrhosis or right heart failure.

Remember to look for signs and symptoms of these diseases.

In cirrhosis, we see jaundice, varices, and spider angiomas.

Pancreatitis can present with severe epigastric pain radiating to the back and increased risk for thrombotic complications.

Infiltration

Wikipedia

Next let's look at infiltration. The spleen is highly vascularized and plays a central role as a peripheral lymphatic organ.

As such, it is prone to invasion by malignant and non-malignant causes. Malignancies include lymphomas and leukemias, as well as metastatic solid tumours.

Depository diseases such as amyloidosis and sarcoidosis will likely manifest in other organs as well.

Also, the spleen is often one of the primary sites of extramedullary hematopoiesis in myeloproliferative disorders.

Proliferation

The spleen is a lymphatic organ which, instead of filtering lymph; filters blood. In doing so, it is a major source of protection against blood borne pathogens as well as other blood abnormalities which can cause the spleen to become hyperfunctioning.

This can be the result of acute infections, which can be viral (CMV, HIV, EBV), bacterial (TB), fungal (histoplasmosis) as well as parasitic (malaria, visceral leishmaniasis) in nature.

Filtering the blood of abnormal cells / structures can cause hyperplasia of the spleen.

These include spherocytosis, hemoglobinopathies, and sickle cell disease.

Conclusion

An enlarged spleen should never be ignored and a proper history and physical can make this broad differential is much easier to stratify.

Remember it's as simple as C-I-P.

You or someone you know has or had spleen problems?

Yes, this happened to my friend.

What steps can we take to keep our spleen healthy and prevent it from diseases?

If an enlarged spleen causes serious complications or the underlying problem can't be identified or treated surgical removal of your spleen splenectomy may be an option. In fact in chronic or critical cases surgery may offer the best hope for recovery.

Wikipedia

But elective spleen removal requires careful consideration. You can live an active life without a spleen but you're more likely to contract serious or even life-threatening infections after having your spleen removed. Sometimes radiation can shrink your spleen so that you can avoid surgery.

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