Splenomegaly
Splenomegaly means enlargement of the spleen. There are many different causes, with the most common depending on the part of the world concerned. In the tropics it is usually due to infections such as malaria or schistosomiasis (see the whole body section) - the increased demands on the body's defences causes the white pulp of the spleen to enlarge in order to meet the demand. In the Mediterranean it may be due to thalassaemia (see the blood section). In the Western World, while it may be due to infection (by the Epstein Barr virus, for example, responsible for glandular fever), it is more likely to be due to blood related cancers such as chronic myeloid leukaemia (see the blood section) or other blood conditions such as hereditary spherocytosis. In both the developed and the developing world an increasingly common cause is cirrhotic liver disease caused by hepatitis C or alcohol (see the liver section). This increases pressure in the veins running from the spleen and causes it to enlarge. Besides being uncomfortable, an enlarged spleen also causes complications of its own, since it may remove too many red blood cells, resulting in anaemia, and too many platelets, producing problems with blood clotting.
|
