Sometimes, the spleen is carrying out its regular work, but it is overactive hypersplenism ; it may, for instance, be destroying too many red blood cells or platelets.

Sickle cell disease: This is an inherited form of anemia; the condition is characterized by a dysfunctional type of hemoglobin.

In this form of anemia , red blood cells are abnormally shaped crescent-shaped and block the flow of blood, causing damage to organs, including the spleen.

Without platelets available to help blood clot, the primary symptom of thrombocytopenia is bleeding. Spleen cancer: If cancer starts in the spleen, it is known as primary spleen cancer; if it spreads to the spleen from another site, it is called secondary.

Both types of cancer are rare. Splenic infarction: If the blood supply to the spleen is reduced, it is known as splenic infarction. This occurs if blood supply through the splenic artery is cut off by, for instance, a blood clot.

This is often very painful, and treatment depends on the underlying cause. Some people need to have their spleen surgically removed splenectomy.

Typically, enlarged spleens are treated by addressing the underlying problem, according to the Mayo Clinic. If the cause of the enlarged spleen can't be determined or if the condition is causing serious complications such as a ruptured spleen, doctors may suggest removing the spleen.

Cancers that originate in the spleen are relatively rare. When they do occur, they are almost always lymphomas, blood cancers that occur in the lymphatic system.

Usually lymphomas start in other areas and invade the spleen. According to the National Cancer Institute , adult non-Hodgkin lymphoma can have a spleen stage.

This type of spleen invasion can also happen with leukemia, blood cancer that originates in bone marrow.

Rarely, other types of cancers — like lung or stomach cancers — will invade the spleen. Here's what you need to know about spleen cancer, including causes, symptoms, treatment options, and more.

Leukemia is a cancer of the blood cells. Get the statistics on survival rates, find out the most common symptoms, diagnostic options, and treatments.

The sigmoid vein, also called the vena sigmoideus, refers to one group of sigmoid veins. These veins are tributaries of the inferior mesenteric vein….

The small intestine is made up of the duodenum, jejunum, and ileum. Together with the esophagus, large intestine, and the stomach, it forms the….

The masseter muscle is a facial muscle that plays a major role in the chewing of solid foods. The muscle is shaped similar to a parallelogram….

In modern English, "to vent one's spleen" means to vent one's anger , e. Similarly, the English term " splenetic " describes a person in a foul mood.

In contrast, the Talmud tractate Berachoth 61b refers to the spleen as the organ of laughter while possibly suggesting a link with the humoral view of the organ.

Sanhedrin 21b and Avodah Zarah 44a and Rashi ibid. The spleen also plays an important role in traditional Chinese medicine and is the Yin part of the Earth element paired with its Yang counterpart the Stomach.

In German "einen Spleen haben" means to be quirky or eccentric, to have a strange but usually not harmful habit. In German the meaning of "spleen" changed in the mid 19th century from "being melancholic" to "being eccentric".

In cartilaginous and ray-finned fish , it consists primarily of red pulp and is normally somewhat elongated, as it lies inside the serosal lining of the intestine.

In many amphibians , especially frogs , it has the more rounded form and there is often a greater quantity of white pulp. A study published in using mice found that the red pulp of the spleen forms a reservoir that contains over half of the body's monocytes.

In reptiles , birds, and mammals , white pulp is always relatively plentiful, and in birds and mammals the spleen is typically rounded, but it adjusts its shape somewhat to the arrangement of the surrounding organs.

In most vertebrates, the spleen continues to produce red blood cells throughout life; only in mammals this function is lost in middle-aged adults.

Many mammals have tiny spleen-like structures known as haemal nodes throughout the body that are presumed to have the same function as the spleen.

In cetaceans and manatees they tend to be quite small, but in deep diving pinnipeds , they can be massive, due to their function of storing red blood cells.

The only vertebrates lacking a spleen are the lampreys and hagfishes the Cyclostomata. Even in these animals, there is a diffuse layer of haematopoeitic tissue within the gut wall, which has a similar structure to red pulp and is presumed homologous with the spleen of higher vertebrates.

In mice the spleen stores half the body's monocytes so that upon injury, they can migrate to the injured tissue and transform into dendritic cells and macrophages to assist wound healing.

Transverse section of the spleen, showing the trabecular tissue and the splenic vein and its tributaries. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Internal organ in most vertebrate animals. For other uses, see Spleen disambiguation. This article uses anatomical terminology.

However, medical supplementation is often needed in such cases. One major function is that this organ filters blood, removing foreign bodies, microbes, and faulty red blood cells RBCs in its red pulp.

This it does by filtering such bodies to specialized white blood cells called lymphocytes located in the lymph nodules.

In its white pulp, the spleen produces white blood cells WBCs , and synthesizes antibodies, making it essential to immune function.

In particular, this tissue is the site of lymphocyte production white blood cells that are deeply involved in immune function that make up the antibodies.

As noted above, while the spleen is not a completely essential organ, it can be implicated in a number of health issues, with some disorders or diseases becoming life-threatening.

Oftentimes, splenectomy—the removal of the spleen—is required as treatment for these conditions, though sometimes more conservative measures can work.

Assessment of spleen function involves several different kinds of tests and will vary based on symptoms that are reported.

You'll need a general anaesthetic and may need to stay in hospital for a few days to recover. It's normal to feel sore and be bruised after a splenectomy, but you'll be given pain relief.

Like any operation, spleen removal carries a small risk of complications, including bleeding and infection. Another risk is the surgical wound becoming infected.

Recovery usually takes a few weeks. Your doctor or nurse will advise when you can go back to your usual activities, such as driving.

If your spleen needs to be removed, other organs, such as the liver, can take over many of the spleen's functions. But there's a small risk that a serious infection may develop quickly.

This risk will be present for the rest of your life. The risk is also increased if you have a health condition like sickle cell anaemia or coeliac disease , or a health condition that affects your immune system, like HIV.

Request an Appointment at Mayo Clinic. Share on: Facebook Twitter. Show references Landaw SA, et al.

Approach to the adult patient with splenomegaly and other splenic disorders. Accessed June 14, Merck Manual Professional Version.

Longo DL, et al.