There are numerous diseases that affect the human spleen. According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health, the spleen is an organ located in the upper left quadrant of the abdomen, and it is an important part of the lymphatic system. The spleen wards off infection, keeps a person's body fluids balanced and helps dictate the number of red blood cells in the body by destroying old and damaged cells.
Gaucher's Disease
Gaucher's disease is a lipid, or fat, storage disease of the human spleen. According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, Gaucher's disease is an inherited metabolic disorder in which glucocerebroside, a damaging fatty substance, accumulates in the spleen, liver, lungs, bone marrow and even the brain and impairs organ function. NINDS notes that there are three type of Gaucher's disease: type 1, type 2 and type 3. People with type 1, the most common type, have an enlarged spleen and typically bruise easily and experience excessive fatigue due to anemia and decreased levels of blood platelets. Symptoms may appear at any age. People with type 2 also have an enlarged spleen, although the age of onset is three months. Extensive and progressive brain damage is also characteristic of type 2 Gaucher's disease. People with type 3 may have an enlarged liver and spleen, along with seizures.
Cancer
The American Cancer Society states that non-Hodgkin's lymphoma is a cancer that originates in lymphocytes—cells that are part of the immune system. Lymphocytes are located within lymph nodes and other lymphoid tissues, including the spleen and bone marrow. According to the A.P. John Institute for Cancer Research, Stage IIIS non-Hodgkin's lymphoma is found in lymph node areas on both sides of the diaphragm and in the spleen. The Merck Manuals website notes that other types of blood cancers or myeloproliferative disorders can affect the spleen, causing it to become enlarged, including Hodgkin's lymphoma, leukemia, polycythemia vera and myelofibrosis.
Splenic Infarction
According to the National Institutes of Health, splenic infarction is the death, or necrosis, of spleen tissue due to impaired blood flow. Blood clots, infections and blood diseases such as sickle cell anemia can cause splenic infarction. In the textbook "Pathologic Basis of Disease," Drs. Ramzi S. Cotran, Vinay Kumar and Tucker Collins state that splenic infarctions are caused by blockage of the spleen's principle artery—the major splenic artery—or any of its offshoots that deliver blood to the spleen. The spleen is one of the primary targets for an embolus circulating in the blood. Splenic infarcts, the tissue area damaged or destroyed by the embolus, and the subsequent loss of blood flow, can be large or small, and there can be multiple areas of damage if there is more than one embolus.
