The spleen is one the body's most hardworking but underestimated organs. The spleen's ability to filter and store blood helps your body fight infection and disease. While a healthy spleen plays an important part in maintaining your health, it is...
The spleen is an internal organ located in the upper left part of your abdomen, under your diaphragm and behind the stomach. It looks like a small rounded catcher's mitt with several notches on it, according to the Children's Hospital of...
The human spleen is a gray and purple speckled organ under the rib cage on the left side. Sometimes through injuries and infections, the spleen ruptures, and then it must be surgically removed. In one of the few studies of the effects of...
A splenectomy is a surgical procedure during which your spleen is removed. A splenectomy is performed if your spleen is ruptured, infected, contains a tumor or because of certain blood disorders. A splenectomy is performed under general...
The spleen is a small, fist-sized organ located below your left rib cage, and is a significant part of your body's immune system. It helps fight infection by producing white blood cells called lymphocytes as a defense against invading pathogens....
The spleen cleans the blood to eliminate bacteria, old blood cells and parasites, notes NYU Langone Medical Center. The removal of the spleen, called a splenectomy, is done due to a wide variety of disorders that impact or damage this organ. The...
The spleen is a small organ that is part of the immune system, helping the body to fight off infections. The spleen can become enlarged, ruptured or affected by disease, all of which can cause symptoms. If the symptoms are severe, the spleen is...
Portal hypertension refers to increased pressure in the portal vein, the vein that goes from the gastrointestinal tract to the liver. The most common cause is cirrhosis of the liver. Other causes include certain types of heart disease, which...
Located just under your ribs in the upper left quadrant of the abdomen, your spleen is a disc-shaped organ approximately 4 inches in circumference and 2 inches thick. As part of its role in fighting infection, the spleen stores white blood cells...
Spleen enlargement, or splenomegaly, is not actually a disorder but rather the symptomatic manifestation of different disorders such as repeated parasitic infections, certain metabolic disorders or cirrhosis of the liver. The treatment for an...
The spleen is a small organ that filters the blood by removing old platelets and red blood cells. When the spleen becomes infected, enlarged or cancerous, a splenectomy is a common treatment. While exercise can speed up recovery time in the long...
Sickle cell anemia causes pain in infants' hands and feet. When you get older, you will have to face having recurring pain crises, problems with your spleen, numerous infections, hip pain and the possibility of having seizures and strokes. All of...
Swollen glands, or lymph nodes, in the neck can be worrisome. The cause usually is not serious, according to Medline Plus. Lymph glands are part of the immune system, and they most often swell in response to infection. A variety of disorders can...
There are many diseases associated with the spleen. According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health, or NIH, the spleen is an important part of a person's immune system. The spleen, which is approximately...
The spleen is an organ that serves quite a few roles in normal bodily function. It has roles in both immune system and hematologic system (the blood) regulation but is not essential for the body's survival. People can be asplenic (lack spleen...
The cause of pain on one side of the abdomen can originate from a variety of organs situated within the abdominal cavity. An organ such as the spleen resides within the upper left abdominal region; injury or infection of the spleen could produce...
Hairy cell leukemia is a type of blood cancer that occurs when the bone marrow makes too many white blood cells called lymphocytes. Although hairy cell leukemia typically progresses very slowly, it can eventually lead to serious problems such as...
Low platelet count, or thrombocytopenia, is an abnormally low count of platelets, the blood particles that prevent blood loss by aiding in the formation of blood clots. A normal platelet count is defined as 150,000 to 350,000 platelets in one...
There are several ailments that are common to African Americans. Many of these lend themselves to genetic and cultural factors that increase the risk of certain ailments in the African American community. Among these are sickle cell anemia,...
Patients with meningitis have an infection of the meninges, a tissue that covers the brain and spinal cord. Meningitis can result from a virus or bacterium. One type of meningitis, pneumococcal meningitis, is a bacterial meningitis caused by...
The spleen is part of the lymphatic system and has a vital role in the body's immune system function. The spleen produces white blood cells (WBCs) that help fight infection; filters old, damaged blood cells from the circulatory system; and stores...
A bite from a female Anopheles mosquito infected with the Plasmodium parasite causes malaria. The parasite invades the liver but then exits to invade and multiply within the red blood cells. Fever, chills, anemia and jaundice develop as the...
Blood-borne parasites are found worldwide and usually spend a certain part of their life-cycle in the blood of the host. Blood-borne parasites may be transmitted in two ways according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: parasites...
The spleen is a spongy organ about the size of a fist located in the upper left portion of the abdomen, towards the flank, behind the lower ribs. It is part of the lymphatic and immune system, helping the body fight off infections and clearing up...
The Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) causes infectious mononucleosis, also referred to as "mono" and the "kissing disease." The viral infection transfers from person to person through saliva or through close contact with an infected individual. The most...
The spleen acts as a filter for the blood, taking dysfunctional red blood cells out of the circulation and exposing the blood to the white blood cells of the immune system. As such, disorders of the spleen typically have an effect on the blood or...
The spleen is an organ that plays a vital role in protecting the body from infections, since the special cells present in the spleen kill the bacteria or germs that are present in the blood. An individual may need to get the spleen removed due to...
HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus and is a retrovirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. According to Childrenshosptital.org, there are 6,000 to 7,000 infants who are born to HIV-infected mothers each year in the United...
Garlic is a plant that first grew in Asia and is now grown worldwide for food and medicinal purposes. People add whole, sliced or crushed garlic to foods or consume supplements made from fresh or aged garlic or garlic oil. Garlic contains...
Mononucleosis, the kissing disease, strikes mostly children and adolescents, resulting in fatigue, soreness, and fever. Learn more about mono in this health video.
