Spleen-ology

Recently, a little boy I know fell from a third floor apartment balcony and suffered some serious injuries. He was bleeding internally due to the rupture of his left kidney and his spleen. The doctors had to perform an emergency surgery to stop the bleeding and remove the kidney as well as the spleen. You must be wondering why I'm posting about this already.

Well, one thing I've noticed from the incident is that not many people actually know the function of the spleen (some didn't even know the existence of the organ). So, I thought I'd at least educate my students or others who read this blog about their spleens. (WARNING: This post assumes that the reader has no knowledge whatsoever about the subject matter. If you feel your intelligence insulted in any way, the author apologises in advance.)


Your spleen is an organ above your stomach and under your ribs on your left side (a prime spot for injury). It is about as big as your fist and that makes it about the size of your heart. The spleen is part of your lymphatic system, which fights infection and keeps your body fluids in balance. It contains white blood cells that fight germs (feel your intelligence insulted yet?). Your spleen also helps control the amount of blood in your body, and destroys old and damaged cells (basically it's your blood cells' graveyard).

The average weight of an adult spleen is 0.44 lbs (that's about 200 grams). However, during and after digestion, the size of the spleen increases. Infection of malaria or mono can also cause the spleen to increase in size. If the increase in size is significant, the spleen can rupture. If the spleen ruptures, immediate medical care is necessary (duh!). You may need emergency surgery to control the bleeding. Other diseases that causes enlargement of the spleen are: rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus, sickle cell amenia, leukemia, and lymphoma.

Apart from diseases, a ruptured spleen is typically caused by a blow to the left upper abdomen or the left lower chest. Sporting mishaps, fist fights and car accidents (and even falling from a third floor apartment) are common triggers. The spleen is soft and is surrounded by a tough covering, or capsule. An injured spleen may rupture soon after the abdominal trauma or, in some cases, days or even weeks after the injury. Not all spleen injuries are the same. There may be a mild bruise, a little tear, making it bleed into its middle, or it may be broken into several pieces.

Traditionally, children with an injured spleen underwent an operation to remove it, a so-called splenectomy (try saying that 10 times very quickly). Over the past 30 years, surgeons have learned that more than 90% of children with an injured spleen can heal without an operation, saving the spleen's important infection fighting role. To get the spleen to heal, the child needs to remain in bed in the hospital until their spleen has stopped bleeding, and they must then restrict their participation in sports or other vigorous activities to keep their spleen from being reinjured. Sometimes, if the child is in shock, or the spleen doesn't stop bleeding on its own, an operation is needed to remove or repair the spleen.

You can live an active life without a spleen (woohooo!). Other organs, such as your liver, will take over some of the spleen's work. Without a spleen, however, your body will lose some of its ability to fight infections (bummer!). Therefore, you're more likely to contract serious or even life-threatening infections. If your spleen is removed, you should get vaccinated (get a "shot") against pneumococcal infection and get a booster shot every 3 to 5 years. Your doctor may also want you to get 2 other shots, one to protect you against Haemophilus infections and another to protect against meningitis. In some cases, preventive antibiotics may be recommended as well — especially if you have any other conditions that increase your risk of serious infections. Children who have a splenectomy might need to take antibiotics for at least 2 years after the spleen is taken out, and sometimes until age 21 (maybe even their whole lifetime).

Now you know! ;)