The spleen is an organ associated with both the circulatory and lymphatic systems. Its cells are lymph nodes and pulp, consisting of a reticular mesh, in which erythrocytes, macrophages and leukocytes are located. The organ plays an important role in the body, so if it is found that the spleen is enlarged, this can be quite an alarming symptom.
Diagnosis and treatment should be entrusted to qualified specialists.
Why is the spleen enlarged?
The reasons for the increase in the volume of internal organs are most often hidden in any diseases. The same situation applies to the spleen. A slight increase may be due to the accumulation of blood in its tissues, the deposition of various substances, or the growth of individual elements. Depending on why the spleen is enlarged, it may be soft or hard. In the first case, the organ will be painful and, as a rule, affected by an infectious process, and in the second, it will be more dense, painless and enlarged due to a chronic problem. If the spleen is very enlarged, the excess volume is called splenomegaly. They can occupy almost the entire abdominal cavity, squeezing and displacing the surrounding organs and affecting their functions in a negative way.way. Another cause of soreness may be perisplenitis or an inflammatory reaction. In such a situation, an increase may not be observed.
How can I tell if my spleen is enlarged?
Sometimes it is difficult to determine the causes of discomfort in the body. It is especially difficult to immediately deal with the disease if the spleen in a child is enlarged. Children cannot independently decide which organ hurts and describe the symptoms correctly. The first diagnostic method is questioning. The doctor must find out what diseases the person had before, what chronic infections and diseases could provoke the development of tumors of the spleen. The cause of the problem can be malaria, and typhoid, and syphilis, as well as endocarditis, thrombosis and diseases of the hematopoietic apparatus, such as leukemia, erythremia, or jaundice, and liver problems, such as cirrhosis. If the spleen is greatly enlarged, a simple examination may be enough to diagnose. In such cases, the left half of the chest begins to bulge noticeably, the organ protrudes from under the ribs. This sometimes results in an asymmetric abdomen due to the elevation of the left hypochondrium.
The next way to determine the problem is palpation. When the spleen is enlarged, the procedure should be carried out with the patient lying on the right side or on the back. If the doctor manages to find the organ at all during palpation, we can already talk about a change in volume. Exceptions may be cases with asthenic patients, in whom the spleen can also be felt.normal sizes - the capacity of the hypochondrium is too small.
What to do when the spleen is enlarged?
Once the increase and its causes have been identified, immediate action must be taken. For infections, you need to take antibiotics recommended for a particular disease, monitor nutrition and limit physical activity during an exacerbation. When an enlarged spleen is combined with diseases such as leukemia or tuberculosis, surgery may be required based on the results of punctures of the cells of the affected organ.
