Enlarged Spleen Symptoms
All about Enlarged Spleen symptoms
If you are experiencing enlarged spleen symptoms the reason may be another underlining condition. Usually when these symptoms occur it is because of another illness and the enlarge spleen is just a result of the illness. Doctors must then run a battery of tests to determine what is causing the problem.
When the spleen becomes enlarged the red blood cells are trapped within the spleen. Red blood cells and platelets are needed to fight off diseases in your body and aide the immune system. So if they are trapped, the body becomes susceptible to a range of other illness. As time goes on the spleen starts to trap normal red blood cells and destroys them along with the abnormal red blood cells. This process goes on until the spleen becomes completely clogged and can no longer function properly. Anemia soon sets in and can cause the person affected to bleed internally.
The symptoms of this ailment are usually diagnosed as stomach problems, indigestion or menstrual pain. But if you have all of these symptoms at the same time, the problem becomes clear.
A pain in the lower bottom stomach area indicates enlarged spleen symptoms. This happens when the spleen becomes so big that it interferes with your stomach and bladder. Pressure form the spleen can cause a person to feel full when they have only eaten a small amount of food. Or the person can feel an urge to use the bathroom more often.
Anemia is another one of the enlarged Spleen symptoms. Because the spleen traps and keeps red blood cells and platelets in it, they body cannot function normally. Excessive bleeding can be a problem from the affected area of the spleen and blood loss can occur.
A pain that goes from your stomach up to your left arm is another symptom. This is again caused by pressure form the swelling spleen. In some cases, people can be misdiagnosed and think that they have having symptoms of a heart attack. Unfortunately, doctors have no way of knowing what the exact problem is, so a battery of test must again be performed on the patient who is experiencing these problems.
Because of the damage done to red blood cells, they no longer work efficiently. This causes bleeding problems. You can have a problem with the initial site of the enlarged spleen causing internal bleeding. Or any injured area bleeds excessively. In some cases, a blood transfusion is needed to replenish the blood supply.
When these symptoms happen and the immune system is not able to correct the problem, different infections may set in. This is due to the red blood cells being trapped within the spleen. The excessive bleeding and the inability for the blood to successfully clot can cause these infections. If the problem is not immediately addressed the infections can reoccur and happen on a frequent basis.
If you are showing any of these symptoms and you feel tired all of the time, it is safe to believe that you have spleen problems. Fatigue is another symptom of this problem. Anytime the red blood cells and platelets are compromised, the body can become exhausted and the need for sleep increases. This is a natural reaction because the body’s immune system kicks into overdrive when a person sleeps.
If you are displaying any of these specific symptoms you should see a doctor immediately. He will then run tests to see what disease or illness is making your spleen enlarged. Usually the problem can be pin pointed and the proper medication can be use to correct the problem. However, sometimes due to the damage done to the spleen, it has to be removed.