COVID-19: Does not having a spleen affect ability to fight this illness? A splenectomy is the surgical removal of your spleen. I have not had any serious side effects due to the fact that I do not have a spleen. It's often discovered during a routine physical exam. Its roles include filtering blood, storing platelets and white blood cells, recycling broken down red blood cells, and destroying harmful microorganisms like bacteria. It's often discovered during a routine physical exam. Certain diseases might cause your spleen to swell. Where is the Spleen located? If the unthinkable happens and your spleen does rupture, here are the signs to watch out for: Pain on left side of upper abdomen The spleen is an organ found in almost all vertebrate animals. A ruptured spleen is a medical emergency that occurs as a result of a break in your spleen's surface. It’s one of those organs that people know about, but aren’t sure what it does. You can also damage or rupture your spleen in an injury, especially if it is already swollen. Produces antibodies that help fight infection. Your spleen is an organ above your stomach and under your ribs on your left side. But a number of conditions, including liver disease and some cancers, can cause your spleen to enlarge. Learn more about your spleen: https://wb.md/31itxLVIt's that organ right behind the stomach and under the lungs, but honestly what does the spleen do? U.S. National Library of Medicine. An enlarged spleen presses against neighboring organs. An enlarged spleen or splenomegaly occurs when an underlying condition such as liver disease, infections, or cancer cause the spleen to work harder than normal. The spleen is located in the upper-left part of your abdomen. Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission. Spleen tumor in dogs is a type of metastatic cancer that is highly dangerous and with poor survival rates, most commonly seen in certain dog breeds. Splenomegaly. Where is my spleen and what does it do? 19th ed. What is an open splenectomy? Check out these best-sellers and special offers on books and newsletters from Mayo Clinic. The treatment consists of dietary changes and traditional herbs. There’s are a number of things you need to be mindful of and adjust in your daily life in order to thrive without a spleen. Your spleen, situated just under your rib cage on your left side, helps your body fight infection and filter old blood cells from your bloodstream. What Does Your Spleen Do? Similar in structure to a large lymph node, it acts primarily as a blood filter. The most common reasons to do a splenectomy are to treat a ruptured spleen, an enlarged spleen or other disorders of the spleen and blood disorders. The spleen is located behind the stomach in the left upper quadrant of the abdomen. What Does Your Spleen Do? These activities should be avoided until your spleen returns to its normal size, about four weeks after infection. As you’ll see, these start with your digestion but go on to include your Blood and your muscles, your ability to think and your energy. the spleen is an organ that is located in the upper left hand quadrant of your abdominal cavity, and it actually has several essential roles in your body. Enlargement of lymph nodes and spleen. I want to know what my spleen does for my body, what is it’s jobs and stuff. Your doctor will advise you as to when it is safe to resume these activities. In Chinese medicine, there is a strong focus on Spleen health because the spleen is one of the most important organs for digestive function. A ruptured spleen is a medical emergency that occurs as a result of a break in your spleen's surface. Thank You! If you have an enlarged spleen, a less forceful traum… The enlargement of the spleen may be temporary, depending on treatment. It recognizes and removes old, malformed, or damaged red blood cells. However, something can happen in the body that disrupts the workings of the spleen. The Merck Manuals: Merck Manual Consumer Version. Your doctor generally can't feel a normal-sized spleen in adults but can feel an enlarged spleen. This content does not have an Arabic version. Your spleen is an organ that is located in the upper left side of your abdomen. Here is some further information on the spleen. The spleen is an organ found in virtually all vertebrates. The spleen is a bodily organ that sits just below the stomach, and helps the body to do several important things. The word spleen comes from Ancient Greek σπλήν. In Western medicine its function is to purify your blood by filtering out old or damaged red blood cells and microbes, and to produce the white blood cells that act as guardians of your system. Excess red blood cells and platelets eventually can clog your spleen and affect normal functioning. Computed tomography (CT) — Abdomen and pelvis. Mayo Clinic, Phoenix, Az. Many important: In addition to having a fun name to pronounce, the spleen filters and helps recycle blood cells, and helps fight certain types of infections. However, something can happen in the body that disrupts the workings of the spleen. At this point, we do not know for sure how lacking a spleen might affect a person’s ability to fight COVID-19. A: The word “spleen” has come to be used metaphorically as a synonym for “anger”. The spleen is a brown, oval-shaped organ located in the upper left side of the abdomen just below the rib cage. This site complies with the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information: verify here. The spleen is found on the left side of your body, behind the stomach on a level with the 9th to 11th ribs. http://www.uptodate.com/home. Merck Manual Professional Version. Lab Tests Online. Symptoms of Ruptured Spleen. See our, URL of this page: https://medlineplus.gov/spleendiseases.html, (American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America), (Society of American Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Surgeons), (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research), References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine), isolated congenital asplenia: MedlinePlus Genetics. What Does the Spleen Do? It mainly acts as a filter for purifying the blood, removing microbes and worn out or damaged red blood cells. Probably the single most important thing the spleen does is produce antibodies that fight against bacteria and other microbes. The spleen may have to be taken out (splenectomy) or may stop working right for many reasons. The spleen’s primary functions are to filter the blood and help defend the body against pathogens. The spleen is a part of your lymphatic system. First, it filters the blood, but not in the same way the kidney does. Your spleen is a small organ located on the left side of your abdomen under the rib cage. If your spleen is too damaged, you might need surgery to remove it. Where is my spleen and what does it do? It sits above the stomach and is usually the size of a fist. A single copy of these materials may be reprinted for noncommercial personal use only. The most notable features of spleen pain is that it is :. It contains white blood cells that fight germs. The spleen is part of the immune system and plays an important role in fighting infections. A component of the immune system, the spleen is connected to the lymphatic system. It is approximately five inches long by three inches wide, and just under two inches thick. I want to know what my spleen does for my body, what is it’s jobs and stuff. 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