During the time that a fetus is 9 to 28 weeks old, blood cells form in the spleen. After birth, the spleen keeps a supply of blood, which it releases into circulation if the blood pressure gets low. It removes old red blood cells and stores iron to be used in new ones. White blood cells circulate throughout its many blood vessels, destroying broken parts of blood cells and microorganisms.
Sickle Cell Anemia
Sickle cell anemia is a hereditary disease in which the red blood cells take the shape of a sickle when there is a low amount of oxygen. This happens because the amino acid valine takes the place of the amino acid glutamate in the hemoglobin of the red blood cell, as explained by Dr. Alan Lichtin, Associate Professor at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine in "The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals."
People with sickle cell anemia have pain in the spleen because the sickle cells block the blood vessels in the spleen. This can lead to an enlarged spleen; a splenic sequestration crisis, during which red blood cells are trapped in the spleen; or an infarction. An infarction is when an organ is suddenly without oxygen. This is painful and damages the spleen so much that people with sickle cell usually have a shrunken spleen by the time they are 6 years old.
Hairy Cell Leukemia
Leukemia is a cancer that causes people to have a very high number of white blood cells. In hairy cell leukemia, they have high numbers of B-cell lymphocytes, which are a type of white blood cell. The blood cells are called "hairy" because they have hairlike projections all around the surface of the cell. The disease affects men five times more than women, according to Dr. Charles Linker, Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of California in "Current Medical Diagnosis & Treatment." The average age when people start having symptoms is 55. The abnormal cells fill up the bone marrow, which prevents the other blood cells from developing there. Thus, people feel tired and are susceptible to infections. The cells also fill up the liver and spleen. Both organs increase in size and the spleen can become huge. This can be painful, especially if the spleen becomes very large.
Infectious Mononucleosis
The Epstein-Barr virus causes infectious mononucleosis, which usually affects young adults. The virus infects the lining of the mouth, pharynx and salivary glands, and spreads from one person to another through the saliva. Young adults often will not show any symptoms until four to six weeks after contracting the virus. Then they may feel tired and have muscle aches for a week or two before they develop a sore throat, large lymph nodes and fever. The fever usually lasts for two weeks, but can sometimes last for more than a month. In 43 percent to 64 percent of patients, a large spleen develops in the second and third week of the disease, writes Dr. Jeffrey Cohen, Chief of the Medical Virology Section at the National Institutes of Health in "Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine." The enlarged spleen can cause mild pain. People are advised not to engage in any contact sports until the spleen is back to its normal size. Any trauma to the spleen can cause it to rupture, which is very painful and life-threatening.
References
- "Current Medical Diagnosis & Treatment 2010"; Stephen McPhee, M.D., Maxine Papadakis, M.D.; 2010
- "Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine"; Anthony Fauci, M.D., Dennis Kasper, M.D., Dan Longo, M.D. et al.; 2008
- The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals: Sickle Cell Disease
