Does a swollen spleen cause pain?

Have you ever wondered if your swollen spleen is causing you pain? Well, you’re in luck, because today we’ll be discussing exactly that. We will talk about what the spleen is and its functions, different causes of a swollen spleen, and whether or not it can lead to pain. So sit back (or lie down if your spleen hurts too much), grab some popcorn, and let’s dive into the world of splenic swelling.

What is the Spleen?

The spleen is an organ shaped like a fist located on the left side of our abdomen under our rib cage. It’s part of our immune system and helps fight off infections by producing white blood cells called lymphocytes. It also plays an important role in filtering old red blood cells from our bloodstream.

How do you know if your Spleen is Swollen?

Swelling in the spleen, known as splenomegaly (yeah try pronouncing that at parties), can be caused by multiple factors such as infection or certain medical conditions like liver disease or cancer. Symptoms can include:

  • Pain – A sharp pain on the upper left side of abdomen.
  • Fullness – Feeling full after eating small amounts.
  • Fatigue – Feeling tired despite getting enough sleep.
  • Fever – Running a higher than average body temperature for extended periods.

If you experience these symptoms along with soreness around your lower ribs on your left side when pressed upon then there could be good reason to suspect something wrong with your friend ‘Splenactular’.[1]

Causes of Splenic Swelling

There are various reasons why someone might experience splenic swelling without experiencing any discomforting feeling whereas others actually might get painfully hurt:[2],[3]

Infections

Infections are common culprits behind splenic swelling. If your body has a bacterial or viral infection, white blood cells produced by the spleen must work overtime to fight it off. This can cause the spleen to swell up as if it’s trying to give someone a high-five with excitement.

Medical Conditions

Certain underlying medical conditions like liver disease and cancer make splenic swelling more likely because of their effect on our body’s immune system functioning.

  • Liver Disease: Advanced liver diseases lead to portal hypertension (high blood pressure in veins from gut toward liver) which causes engorgement of spleen/stagnation of blood flow leading onto Swelling.[4]

  • Cancer: Lymphomas (a type of cancer that begins at lymphocytes level), infiltrative carcinomas and leukemia are some cancers directly affecting one’s bone marrow and leading towards production of abnormal lymphoblasts (Infectious Agents).[5]

Genetics

Some genetic issues could be behind an individual developing an oversized spleen for example Sickle Cell Anaemia; inherited defect changing appearance oxygen carrying component hemoglobin causing Rbc’s sickling leading upto Splenic Enlargement [6].

Can a swollen Spleen cause Pain?

The short answer is yes – but only if there is significant stretching or rupturing involved.

The threshold for pain related splenomegaly varies person-to-person depending upon variables like size & location enlargement[7]. The main reason why some people experience spelenic hurting while others don’t is due to variable nature geographic position encompassing two facts:

    - It may press against adjacent organs 
    - It stretches surrounding muscle structures

A distended mass pressing or rubbing over the diaphragm increases chances feeling discomfort, hence sharper stabbing pain felt near left side ribs area could potentially arise[8]. Nonetheless majority never notice any signs pointing towards problems unless suffering from large splenic expansions/ruptures warranting immediate emergency care with some presenting symptoms like:

  • Severe pain – A sudden and severe pain on the left side of your abdomen.
  • Dizziness – Feeling lightheaded or faint for no apparent reason
  • Confusion – Difficulty thinking normally, impaired concentration.

Treatment

Treating splenomegaly depends largely on severity of expansion size and underlying medical afflictions such as cancer requiring chemotherapy. In general if you are suffering from painful swelling then treatments would involve short courses antibiotics & analgesics to expedite recovery process. Afterwards monitoring any potential spleen damage through ultrasounds/chest x-rays to track progress over an extended period.[9]

However, if extreme dangerous levels of possible burst Spleen have been reached – emergency procedures must be fixed in place with prompt treatment prioritizing higher than other concerns[10].

Conclusion

In conclusion, a swollen spleen may cause discomfort depending upon certain factors but generally is acceptable when within normal parameters regarding size scaling/tolerance towards any neighboring organs which might lead onto causing disturbances/painful sensations inside body co-existing with stress being involved such as inflammation by diseases/liver disorders etcetera just hope it doesn’t blow up life a beach ball at your next barbecue! [11]

[1] Medical News Today Staff “Splenomegaly: Everything you wanted to know” medi….\n
[2] Mayo Clinic “Splenic Enlargement” \n
[3] Healthline Editorial Team “Swollen Spleen Causes” healthl….\n
[4] US National Library of Medicine “Enlarged [10][spleen\medlineplus.gov/ency/article/003276.htm].\n
[5] Chin YH et al.“Sudden death due to spontaneous rupture of the splee…” Popul Health Manag.\n
[6 ] Yanping Ma et al. “An overview of the clinical aspects and management of sickle-cell disease” Global Health Journal Volume 5 Issue 2 Pages 54–56 – March-April.\n
[7] Bruce Pinkleton et al., “Intra-abdominal Splenomegaly: A Sign of Severe Alcohol-Related Liver Disease”, The Annals of Pharmacotherapy.\n
[8] Merck Manuals Professional Edition “Spleen Disorders – Overview”. \n
[9] Judy O’Rourke ON, RN and Darlene Holtz BSN, CEN “Splenomegaly Treatment & Mana…” Nursing Center\n
[10] El-Menyar et al. “Traumatic rupture spleen: Outcome analysis”World jo OF Emergency Surgery\n
[11 ] Reader’s Digest Editors ”12 Silent Symptoms You Need to Watch Out for That Could Signal a Major Problem” rd.com

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