Considering its significant role in overall health, most people spend very little time thinking about their spleen. But this relatively small organ—it weighs just six ounces on average—more than pulls its own weight.
Spleen Functions
Located on the left side of the abdomen behind the ribcage, the spleen is often described as having the shape of a small catcher’s mitt because of its rounded top side with a notched edge and its concave underside. Though its overall color is purplish, it has two types of tissue—red pulp and white pulp—with clearly delineated jobs.
The red pulp accounts for about 80 percent of the spleen. It filters blood, getting rid of waste products along with old or damaged blood cells. It also helps control the amount of blood in circulation in the body and can store blood.
The white pulp is a reservoir for different types of white blood cells, including lymphocytes, big players in the immune system. They mature and get stored within the spleen where they produce antibodies, infection-fighters that are released when needed.
The spleen is not a solo player: Think of it as major hub within the immune system. The spleen is connected to major veins and arteries in the abdomen—it’s part of the lymphatic system, the body’s drainage system with a complex network of vessels that transport the clear fluid known as lymph throughout the body. The spleen also helps keep bodily fluids in the right balance.
What Is an Enlarged Spleen?
Think of the spleen as a wellness barometer. If it starts to swell and becomes enlarged, a condition known as splenomegaly, that’s a warning sign of a health problem, either within the spleen itself or elsewhere in the body. Among the causes of an enlarged spleen are an obstruction in the abdomen that makes blood back up into the spleen, infections as varied as mononucleosis and endocarditis, certain autoimmune diseases, liver issues, blood clots, blood cancers including leukemia and lymphoma, some types of anemia, and inherited metabolic diseases such as Gaucher’s. So naturally, if you have an enlarged spleen, your doctor will want to do a medical workup to find the reason.
Because an enlarged spleen can swell from a few ounces all the way up to four pounds, you’ll start to experience symptoms as it gets bigger. You’ll likely feel discomfort, like a pinch, in the left area of your abdomen, especially when bending over or sitting down. Some people describe it as a sense of fullness akin to when you overeat but is independent of mealtimes.
An enlarged spleen needs medical attention, not only to find the root cause, but also to avoid a tear, or a rupture, in the spleen, which can lead to dangerous heavy internal bleeding. The appropriate treatment for the cause of the swelling will help the spleen return to normal, but you’ll need to take precautions as you heal. This often includes avoiding strenuous sports and other activities that could cause a still-enlarged spleen to rupture. With mono, for instance, healing time cause take many weeks or longer.
Spleen Pain: When It Ruptures
A ruptured spleen, whether the result of a health condition or a serious injury such as a car accident, is an emergency situation. Any sort of bulging or enlargement you see on your left side and any pain under your ribs on the left side should prompt you to think that you may have a spleen injury. Besides pain, worsening symptoms of a rupture tend to include a rapid heartbeat, dizziness and nausea.
There are some other medical circumstances that may require removing the spleen, a surgery called splenectomy. These include cancer that has spread to the spleen (cancer that originates in the spleen is rare), large blood clots or cysts, blood cell disorders such as sickle cell anemia and other hereditary conditions, and cirrhosis.
Losing your spleen due to injury or disease has severe consequences on the immune system because it’s no longer there to mature the cells that are integral to defending the body from infection. That being said, people can and do live without a spleen. Because not having a spleen puts you at higher risk for infections, you need to be vigilant about avoiding them. It’s even more essential to follow all the well-known recommended precautions, such as getting key vaccinations to boost immunity against microorganisms that are primarily managed by the spleen, along with handwashing and avoiding sick people. Malaria is a particular threat when you no longer have a spleen, and you’ll need to take preventive medication if traveling to countries where that disease is endemic. You may need to take antibiotics as well as get blood tests to monitor blood cells on a regular basis.
Keeping the Spleen Healthy
The same common sense recommendations to stay in good health—eating a diet rich in vitamins and other nutrients, drinking plenty of water, and getting regular exercise—will also help to keep your spleen, lymphatic system and immune system in good working order.
