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If your spleen hurts, it could be a sign that it is inflamed. However, other causes can also cause pain. If you experience certain symptoms, you should definitely go to the emergency room.
Inflamed spleen: Possible causes of severe upper abdominal pain
When the spleen hurts, many people immediately become concerned. This is partly because this organ is often overlooked in everyday life—until symptoms appear. After all, you don’t feel a healthy spleen. The spleen is located in the upper left abdomen, below the diaphragm. It is not essential for life, but it serves both the immune system and blood purification, which is why you should be alert to any pain.
- The spleen filters pathogens out of the blood, produces certain white blood cells called lymphocytes, and stores immune cells. It also breaks down old or damaged red blood cells. In addition, the spleen stores platelets, which are important for blood clotting in case of injury.
- If the organ is causing problems, the pain occurs suddenly—either permanently or recurrently, depending on the cause. The pain can occur in the lower left abdomen and upper left abdomen or possibly radiate to the left shoulder and be quite severe. Since the stomach, pancreas, colon, and left kidney are also located in the same region, the symptoms can easily be confused.
- A common cause of pain in the spleen is inflammation, which causes the spleen to enlarge. Experts refer to this as splenomegaly. Blood disorders or liver problems can also lead to an enlarged spleen. You will notice this through pressure pain in the upper abdomen.
- Infectious diseases such as Pfeiffer’s glandular fever or certain autoimmune diseases such as lupus erythematosus cause the spleen to become inflamed, which makes it swell and particularly susceptible to injury. Malaria infection can also cause spleen pain. People who suffer from arthritis due to rheumatic disease may also experience spleen pain.
- If one of the vessels in the spleen is blocked, you will also feel severe pain. The same applies to injuries to the spleen, i.e., a tear or complete rupture of the organ, which some people suffer in an accident. This is referred to as a ruptured spleen.
- A splenic infarction is rare, but must be taken seriously by those affected. This condition causes tissue in the spleen to die due to circulatory disorders. This leads to sudden, severe pain in the upper abdomen.
Recognizing symptoms: When you should definitely see a doctor
Even though people can actually live without a spleen, you should not take pain lightly. If you experience certain symptoms, you should go straight to the doctor or even to the emergency room. A ruptured spleen, for example, is a medical emergency involving massive internal blood loss.
- So go to a doctor’s office if you suddenly experience severe pain in the upper left abdomen and also notice dizziness or circulatory problems. Especially if pain develops in this area after an accident, you should seek medical help.
- The pain that occurs on the left side under the rib cage and in the lower or upper left abdomen is perceived by those affected as a slight feeling of pressure or as severe pain. It intensifies when coughing and sneezing, but also when sitting hunched over or lying flat.
- Some sufferers find that leaning forward slightly provides relief. However, even if the pain subsides when you rest, this is no substitute for a medical examination.
- To diagnose the problem, doctors usually perform an ultrasound of the abdominal organs. They use blood tests to determine whether there are any infections, inflammations, or blood disorders.
- Incidentally, a healthy spleen does not cause any pain and cannot be felt. The situation is different if the organ is inflamed. In this case, specialists can easily feel the enlargement of the spleen.
- As with any inflammatory process in the body, fever can also occur with spleen inflammation. Those affected generally feel ill. Since the organ can no longer function properly when inflamed, anemia can result. People suffering from spleen inflammation are therefore often pale.
- In addition, the disease causes a deficiency of blood platelets, which are important for blood clotting. This is why those affected are prone to nosebleeds or bleeding of the mucous membrane in the mouth.
- Spleen inflammation also leads to a higher susceptibility to infection due to a weaker immune system.
- If you need a moment to see a doctor, you should first take it easy physically as much as possible. Do not lift heavy objects and, above all, do not engage in any physical activity. Make a note of when the pain occurs and whether there are any accompanying symptoms such as fever, fatigue, or digestive problems—this information will help your doctor make a diagnosis.
How to treat inflammation of the spleen
A doctor will not only determine whether the spleen is really the problem, but also where the cause of the possible inflammation lies.
- Depending on the cause, antibiotics and anti-inflammatory drugs may help. If the pain is very severe, your doctor will also prescribe painkillers.
- In some cases, such as when the organ is severely enlarged or there are vascular diseases, surgery may be necessary. This could even involve removing part or all of the spleen.
- The only thing you can do yourself is to take it easy and prevent infections. As already mentioned, the spleen cannot perform its function as part of the immune system if it is inflamed. This means that you are much more susceptible to infections.
- In addition to careful hygiene, a healthy diet rich in vitamins also helps to protect your body from infections.
- If you suffer from pain in the lower left or upper abdomen, please see your doctor. Untreated inflammation of the spleen can have serious consequences, including for the surrounding organs, which are displaced. This can lead to chronic illnesses: your body could remain permanently weakened.
- If the spleen pain is the result of another illness, such as malaria, glandular fever, or a side effect of arthritis, the specialist will treat the underlying illness.
