Your spleen helps your body to fight off infection. It also regulates the amount of fluid, including blood, that circulates in your body. In addition, it is responsible for destroying damaged cells in the body. You do not need a spleen to survive because are other organs can perform the same functions. However, if the spleen is damaged or removed, your body will have a harder time fighting infections. Injuries and certain diseases such as anemia, cancer and infections can cause your spleen to swell or enlarge. This condition is called splenomegaly. If your symptoms are severe enough, surgery may be necessary.
Common Symptoms
According to the Mayo Clinic, you can have an enlarged spleen without ever having symptoms. In some cases, the only way you know is when your physician detects it during one of your regular physical exams. However, if you do have symptoms, you may experience pain that is located in the upper left part of your stomach. In some cases, this pain may radiate to the back and left shoulder. You may find that your pain becomes worse whenever you take a deep breath.
Additional Symptoms
With this condition, you may also develop fatigue and anemia and bleed easily. You may also have frequent infections. Another sign is that you tend to feel very full or bloated after eating even just a small meal, and you may develop hiccups. Merck states that these symptoms occur because "when the spleen enlarges, it traps and stores an excessive number of blood cells and platelets, thereby reducing the number of blood cells and platelets in the bloodstream." As this occurs, the spleen enlarges more and traps even more cells. If this process continues untreated, your spleen may eventually trap and destroy healthy blood cells as well.
Severe Symptoms
If the spleen continues to enlarge, parts of it may die. This can lead to severe pain in the abdomen and back, and it can press on other organs. In addition, if your spleen is enlarged, it is more prone to rupture. If you develop internal bleeding because of this condition, your blood pressure may drop. You might also have blurred vision and feel confused, lightheaded or dizzy.
