Dangers of Splenomegaly

The heart, liver, spleen, lungs and kidneys are collectively referred to as the "five internal organs". They are important organs in our body. If they become diseased, it will have a great impact on our health. Among these five organs, the spleen is an organ with dual functions of immunity and digestion. It plays a very good role in food digestion, nutrient transportation, and resistance to pathogenic microorganisms.

Therefore, the spleen is an important organ of ours. If the spleen becomes diseased, it will have a great impact on our body. There are many causes of spleen lesions, and most spleen diseases can cause spleen enlargement. Let’s take a look at this situation below.

Splenomegaly is an important pathological sign. Under normal circumstances, the spleen cannot be felt in the abdomen. If the edge of the spleen can be felt in the supine or lateral position, it is considered to be splenomegaly. An increase in spleen size is a cardinal manifestation of spleen disease.

The degree of spleen enlargement is related to the disease.

(1) Mild splenomegaly: When taking a deep breath, the lower edge of the spleen is 2 to 3 cm below the costal margin. It can be seen in certain viral infections, bacterial infections, rickettsial infections, congestive heart failure, portal hypertension in cirrhosis, Hodgkin's disease, systemic lupus erythematosus, tropical eosinophilia, idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, etc.

(2) Moderate splenomegaly: The lower edge of the spleen extends 3 cm below the costal margin to the level of the navel. It can be seen in acute myeloid leukemia, acute lymphocytic leukemia, chronic hemolytic anemia, infectious mononucleosis, splenic amyloidosis, malignant lymphoma, Niemann-Pick disease, etc.

(3) Extreme splenomegaly or splenomegaly is when the lower edge of the spleen extends below the level of the umbilicus. It can be seen in chronic myeloid leukemia, chronic malaria, late-stage schistosomiasis, polycythemia vera, thalassemia, etc.

Accompanying signs

(1) Anemia, hemorrhagic spots or ecchymoses are seen in splenomegaly caused by hematological diseases, such as various types of leukemia, idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, etc.

(2) Anemia and jaundice are seen in hemolytic anemia, chronic viral hepatitis, cirrhosis, malignant histiocytosis, sepsis, etc.

(3) Enlargement of the liver and lymph nodes is seen in malignant lymphoma, lymphocytic leukemia, connective tissue disease, infectious mononucleosis, etc.

(4) Hepatic facies, liver palms and spider nevi are seen in chronic viral hepatitis and cirrhosis.

(5) Various types of rashes are common in various infectious diseases or infectious diseases, such as typhoid fever, typhus, brucellosis, sepsis, subacute infective endocarditis, etc.

(6) Edema and peritoneal effusion are seen in chronic right-sided heart failure, constrictive pericarditis, portal hypertension due to cirrhosis, inferior vena cava obstruction, etc.

(7) Cardiac enlargement is seen in chronic heart failure caused by various heart diseases and large pericardial effusion caused by various reasons.

The above are the causes of splenomegaly. We can see that there are actually many causes of splenomegaly, and splenomegaly can cause a variety of accompanying symptoms. Therefore, when we have splenomegaly, we need to go to the hospital for examination and treatment immediately, and even need to stay in the hospital for observation if necessary.