The spleen is an unpaired organ in the human body that performs important functions. But, unfortunately, few people know about the pathologies associated with it, as well as what symptoms are accompanied by spleen diseases and what consequences can occur. Although the consequences of diseases of such an organ can be quite severe.
Essentially, the spleen is a red pulp of erythrocytes and a white pulp - lymphoid tissue, where lymphocytes are formed. Organ cells detect foreign antigens and form their own antibodies. Experts note that the main time the spleen works is in the morning. Therefore, if during the period 9-11 am there is a feeling of weakness and daytime sleepiness, as well as a lack of appetite, but at the same time an active desire to snack on sweets, you should think in the direction of spleen diseases. It lacks pain receptors, and discomfort can only appear when the protective capsule is stretched.
Gastroenterologist and nutritionist Nuria Dianova told AiF.ru about why the spleen may hurt and what symptoms should be alarming, as well as how to cope with such pathologies.
Important organ
This is one of the organs of the immune system; it is where the primary recognition of any infectious agents, bacteria, viruses, and the formation of antibodies to them occurs.
Here, cells of the immune system are trained to recognize danger. The spleen is a graveyard for blood cells, such as red blood cells and platelets, where they die and are recycled. The spleen is also a depot of iron. There, after the destruction of old red blood cells, iron is retained and used by young red blood cells.
There are no specific diets for the spleen. It all depends on the cause of the spleen pathology, on the primary disease.
Devastating diseases
There are many classifications of spleen disease, but they can be divided into three groups.
1. Tumor diseases.
2. Splenomegaly and hypersplenism in cirrhosis of various etiologies. Splenomegaly is an enlargement of the spleen. Hypersplenism is a syndrome in which hematopoiesis is disrupted and a deficiency of blood cells appears. Often accompanied by an enlarged spleen.
3. Non-tumor diseases - the spectrum here is wide. Congenital cysts, injuries, parasitic formations, circulatory disorders, splenic infarction.
Spleen diseases can be quite dangerous. A global complication of such pathologies is death. For example, in case of injuries, accidents, falls, when an organ rupture with massive blood loss is possible, when massive intra-abdominal bleeding occurs, which can lead to death. Therefore, in case of accidents or injuries, a thorough examination and diagnosis of the abdominal organs is required to avoid tears. The spleen is a very delicate organ.
The second complication is decreased immunity. A person is susceptible to a large number of diseases, or the same disease constantly recurs. These are situations when the patient is treated, treated, and the disease reappears.
Neoplasms of the spleen (spleen tumors, neoplasms, spleen tumors)
Hepatitis
15449 November 18
IMPORTANT!
The information in this section cannot be used for self-diagnosis and self-treatment.
In case of pain or other exacerbation of the disease, diagnostic tests should be prescribed only by the attending physician. To make a diagnosis and properly prescribe treatment, you should contact your doctor. Neoplasms of the spleen: causes of appearance, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment methods.
The spleen is an unpaired organ, mainly consisting of lymphoid tissue, responsible for hematopoiesis, immunity and blood supply in the human body. Spleen neoplasms are focal growths of morphologically altered tumor tissue in the spleen parenchyma.
The most common pathology of the spleen is cysts - cavities filled with fluid and separated from surrounding tissues by a capsule. Benign tumors of the spleen include hemangiomas (tumors of vascular origin), lymphangiomas, lymphomas (tumors of lymphoid tissue), endotheliomas, hamartomas, fibromas.
Systematization of spleen tumors is carried out taking into account their morphological structure, degree of aggressiveness, and location of the main focus. When a tumor develops from linear tissues (tissues of the spleen), there is no systemic damage to lymphoid formations and bone marrow, they speak of primary splenic neoplasms. Primary tumor lesions of the organ are in most cases detected in women in young and middle age. The prevalence of primary tumors in the population is very low and does not exceed 0.003%. The mass of tumor tissue ranges from 20 g to 5 kg.
Secondary processes are more common; specific changes in the parenchyma of the organ are detected in 90% of patients with Hodgkin lymphoma; up to 10% of malignant tumors can metastasize to the spleen. Secondary tumors are the result of diseases of other organs and systems, including blood diseases, immune pathologies, tumors, systemic diseases or damage (injuries) to the spleen. These include: splenic infarction, splenic pedicle torsion, splenic abscess, splenic rupture, splenic cyst, benign and malignant formations of the spleen.
Causes of spleen tumors
The causes of primary tumor transformation of spleen tissue have not been fully established. In secondary neoplasms, the process is provoked by systemic damage to lymphoid tissue or metastatic spread of cells. There is no exact evidence confirming the hereditary nature of neoplasia. According to experts, possible etiological factors of primary and secondary splenic neoplasms are:
Impact of damaging factors
. Pathological growth of spleen tissue can occur under the influence of ionizing radiation, infectious agents, and viruses with oncogenic effects. In addition, the development of neoplasia is sometimes associated with the influence of polyaromatic hydrocarbons and nicotine, which have carcinogenic potential. Sometimes the disease occurs against the background of ischemia or direct damage to the splenic parenchyma during trauma, as well as due to parasitic damage to the organ.
Presence of extrasplenic tumors
. Secondary tumor changes are characteristic of malignant lymphoproliferative processes - lymphogranulomatosis, reticulosarcoma, lymphocytic leukemia. In some cases, damage to the spleen is the only manifestation of these cancers. Metastases to the spleen are rare.
Classification of diseases
The existing classifications of splenic cysts are a modification of the classification of R. Fowle (1940), which gives an idea of the diversity of origin of splenic cysts:
- Primary (true):
a) parasitic (Echinococcus granulosus); b) non-parasitic: - congenital,
- neoplastic (hemangioma, epidermoid, lymphangioma, dermoid).
- traumatic,
- degenerative,
- inflammatory.
The most complete classification of spleen tumors was presented by L. Morgenstern in 1985:
I. Tumor-like changes:
a) non-parasitic cyst, b) hamartoma.
II. Vascular tumors:
a) benign:
- hemangioma,
- lymphangioma,
- hemangioendothelioma,
- hemangiopericytoma;
c) malignant:
- hemangiosarcoma,
- lymphangiosarcoma,
- hemangioendothelial sarcoma,
- malignant hemangiopericytoma.
III.
Lymphoid tumors: a) Hodgkin's disease, b) non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, c) plasmacytoma, d) lymph-like diseases:
- macrofollicular pseudolymph (Castleman tumor),
- localized reactive lymphoid hyperplasia,
- inflammatory pseudotumor.
IV.
Non-lymphoid tumors: a) lipoma, angiolipoma, myelolipoma, b) malignant fibrous histiocytoma, c) fibrosarcoma, d) leiomyosarcoma, e) malignant teratoma, f) Kaposi's sarcoma.
Symptoms of spleen tumors
With small tumors, the disease is asymptomatic for a long time with minimal clinical manifestations. The patient has a syndrome of “small signs”: fatigue, weakness, deterioration in performance, loss of appetite, depression, weight loss. As the tumor progresses (up to rupture of the spleen), the patient begins to experience constant pain, heaviness in the left hypochondrium, a feeling of fullness, asymmetry and enlargement of the abdomen, prolonged low-grade fever, and pain in the left abdominal cavity. Sometimes the pain radiates to the left shoulder girdle and shoulder. With a significant increase in the size of the spleen and involvement of neighboring organs in the process, urination disorders, arterial hypertension that is not amenable to drug therapy, and swelling of the lower extremities may be observed.
Diagnosis of splenic tumors
Diagnosis of spleen tumors is difficult in most cases, which is associated with the poor clinical symptoms of this disease. Neoplasms are most often discovered accidentally during routine examinations. The examination plan for a patient with suspected splenic tumor includes the following instrumental and laboratory methods:
- allows you to visualize the structure of the parenchyma, assess the size and topography of the organ. Sometimes Doppler ultrasound of the spleen is additionally prescribed, the results of which can be used to judge the blood supply to suspicious nodes and the speed of blood flow in the splenic arteries and veins.
- Computed tomography of the abdominal cavity with a bolus of intravenous contrast agent helps to distinguish unchanged parenchyma from tumor foci that do not accumulate contrast. Computed tomography is highly informative and detects tumors in 95% of cases.
Life without an organ
If a person has a tear in the spleen, then most likely the organ will be removed.
Or if we are talking about tumor diseases, severe thrombosis of the splenic and hepatic veins against the background of cirrhosis. The spleen is not replaced. Despite the certain importance of the organ, you can live without it, you can give birth to children. I had a patient who survived an accident and removal of her spleen at the age of 5, and then lived an ordinary life and gave birth to two children.
The liver partially compensates for the absence of the spleen, so the liver does not need to be overloaded. It is very important to give up alcohol and eat healthy food. And realize that if immunity is reduced, you need to take a serious approach to treating the disease and vaccination.
Healthy foods for the spleen
Nuts. They contain minerals and trace elements that can activate the hematopoietic functions of the spleen.
Fatty fish. Thanks to the taurine and fatty acids contained in fish, blood pressure is normalized.
Cabbage. Rich in folic acid, which is responsible for the synthesis of new blood cells. Thanks to vitamin P, the walls of blood vessels are strengthened. It also contains vitamin K, which is responsible for blood clotting.
Liver. It is a source of iron, the lack of which can lead to a decrease in hemoglobin levels and anemia. The liver also contains heparin. It is precisely this that prevents thrombosis and myocardial infarction.
Citrus. Contains vitamin C, which is responsible for the absorption of iron. In addition, vitamin A, together with organic acids and fiber, fights high blood sugar and also reduces cholesterol levels.
Apples. Thanks to the pectin they contain, they regulate sugar levels, which negatively affect the health of the spleen.
Avocado. Capable of binding excess cholesterol, which can clog the hematopoietic tubules of the spleen.
Beet. Natural hematopoietic agent. Stimulates the activity of the spleen. Strengthens the walls of blood vessels. It is advisable to use it together with carrots, cabbage or tomatoes.
Honey. Thanks to honey, the function of the spleen, which is responsible for the production of blood cells, is normalized.
Pomegranate. Activates the hematopoietic function of the spleen.
General recommendations
For the full functioning of the spleen, doctors recommend avoiding stressful situations or learning to respond correctly to stress.
Regular eating in small portions will keep this organ healthy. Meals should be nutritious, at least four to five times a day. Iron-rich foods are very beneficial.
To ensure the health of the spleen, you need to spend more time in the fresh air. A good option might be the seashore or a pine forest.
Folk remedies for normalization and cleaning
Since the spleen is responsible for the hematopoietic function of the body, the following recommendations may be suitable for cleansing it.
- Dandelion. Removes harmful cholesterol, which can clog the bloodstream of the spleen.
- Apple and carrot juices. Cleans blood well. Gives tone to the spleen.
- Cranberry juice. Due to the content of antioxidants, it prevents the formation of tumors.
Harmful foods for the spleen
- Fats . Eating large amounts of fat can block calcium, which is necessary for the synthesis of new red blood cells.
- Fried . Substances contained in fried foods cause changes in the composition of the blood. As a result of this, the spleen has to work in emergency mode, clearing the blood of abnormal cells.
- Alcohol . Due to alcohol, blood cells are destroyed and dehydrated. In addition, alcohol inhibits the functioning of the spleen, preventing the production of new red blood cells.
- Preservatives . As a result of their use, difficultly soluble compounds are formed that can tampon the vessels of the spleen, causing ischemia.
Attention! The information is for informational purposes only and is not intended to make a diagnosis or prescribe treatment. Always consult a specialized doctor!
Tatyana Eliseeva chief editor of the Food+ project
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