Spleen pain can occur when the spleen is injury or increases in size, and pain can be felt when coughing or even touching it. In these situations, in addition to pain, it is also possible to observe changes in blood tests.
The spleen is an organ located in the upper left of the abdomen and its functions are to filter the blood and remove injured red blood cells, as well as produce and store white blood cells for the immune system. Learn about other spleen functions.
- Spleen pain can occur as a result of changes in function.
- As a result of illness or rupture.
- The main causes of splenic pain are:.
Although rare, your spleen may have ruptured as a result of accidents, fights, or a fractured rib, for example. Spleen rupture is rare because of the location of this organ, which is protected by the stomach and chest box, but when it causes certain signs and symptoms, such as pain on the left side of the upper abdomen, with sensitivity to touch, dizziness, increased heart rate due to intrapitoneal bleeding, paleness or feeling unwell.
A ruptured spleen is a medical emergency because it can cause very severe bleeding, so a doctor’s assessment and immediate initiation of treatment is necessary. Learn more about breaking your spleen.
Some situations can cause changes in spleen functions, with higher or lower blood cell production, and these situations usually lead to an enlarged spleen. The main causes of increased spleen function are pernicious anemia, thalassemia, hemoglobinopathies, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, myelofibrosis, hemolytic anemia and thrombocytopenia, for example.
In addition, the spleen may also increase due to its increased response function to drugs and infections such as AIDS, viral hepatitis, cytomegalovirus, tuberculosis, malaria or leishmaniasis, for example.
Liver problems such as cirrhosis, obstruction of the liver veins, splenic artery aneurysm, congestive heart failure or portal hypertension can also cause enlarged spleen and pain in the upper left abdomen.
Some diseases can cause enlarged spleen and pain, such as amylois, leukemia, lymphoma, myeroleative syndrome, metastatic cysts, and tumors, which are diseases characterized by cell infiltration that can lead to enlarged organs.
Spleen pain treatment is cause-based, so it’s important to make the right diagnosis for the most appropriate treatment to be established. In some cases, antibiotics may need to be used when it is an infection or when there is a risk of infection, as well as chemotherapy or radiation therapy in case the pain is caused by a type of cancer.
In more severe situations, your doctor may recommend removal of your spleen, called splenectomy. This procedure may involve the total or partial removal of the spleen, depending on the severity of the cause, and is mainly indicated in cases of cancer, rupture of the spleen and megalia of the spleen, which corresponds to an enlarged spleen. Understand how splenectomy is performed.