The spleen is essential for producing white blood cells and filtering toxins from your blood. Should the spleen become enlarged, it can lead to hypersplenism, which can result in rapid removal of blood cells. Hypersplenism is linked to numerous health issues, some of which can be serious.
Hypersplenism begins with splenomegaly, a condition otherwise known as enlarged spleen. When the spleen becomes enlarged, the volume of blood the organ can hold also increases. As a result, the spleen holds more of your body’s red blood cells, which can become discarded as the spleen filters them. Under normal circumstances, the spleen would only filter out unhealthy blood cells and other toxins.
Splenomegaly often results from other medical conditions and disorders, including:
As for symptoms of hypersplenism, enlargement of the spleen can cause issues like abdominal discomfort and repeated infections. Because the condition can cause a deficit of red blood cells, a person may also experience fatigue, dizziness, and frequent headaches.
Doctors will first need to determine the cause of hypersplenism and treat those underlying disorders. From there, treatments for specific spleen issues often include:
Because the spleen plays such an important role in a person’s immune function, doctors will not recommend a splenectomy unless there are no other viable treatments. In this case, a person may need to take antibiotic medication indefinitely to protect them from infections.