Enlarged liver and spleen disease is frequently complicated to diagnose due to the fact that symptoms are hard to recognize. This article offers causes and clues a liver and spleen enlargement disorder can be developing.
Most people know what an enlarged liver is. Many of those same people, though, might not have heard of an enlarged spleen. Fewer still probably know about a disorder in which both of these medical problems materialize at the same time.
An enlarged liver is called hepatomegaly by doctors. Enlarged spleens are known as splenomegaly. Enlarged liver and spleen sometimes materialize at the same time, in which case the condition is called hepatosplenomegaly. Most people simply call the malady enlarged liver and spleen disease.
It should be noted, however, that neither an enlarged liver nor an enlarged spleen are considered diseases themselves. Instead, they are a symptom of some other malady.
So, what causes enlarged liver and spleen? And, equally important, are they especially risky to your overall health?
In general, an enlarged liver is the result of an infection. It may also be due to toxins like dangerous drugs, alcohol, or harmful substances in your environment. Often liver enlargement is triggered by some other medical condition. It might also be due to a metabolic trouble.
An enlarged spleen, on the other hand, occurs because of conditions or diseases that prompt destruction of red blood cells in the spleen.
Hepatosplenomegaly, the combination of enlarged liver and spleen, is normally caused by a disease or problem involving the kidneys, liver or red blood cells. These would consist of viral infections, such as chronic hepatitis C, cirrhosis, typhoid, kidney and liver infections and blood diseases. If an individual has non-Hodgkin's lymphoma for example, the liver and spleen grow in size as the cancer progresses. This can cause extreme suffering in the liver vicinity. A variety of hereditary conditions as sickle cell anemia also trigger spleen and liver enlargement.
Enlarged liver and spleen may perhaps be hard for doctors to detect for the reason that symptoms are not observable. Some clues do exist, however, and they can help your medical care provider make a diagnosis. The clearest of these is discomfort in the liver region and trouble digesting sizeable, rich meals. Your may need to undergo a variety of tests to get a certain diagnosis.
As mentioned above, symptoms of enlarged liver and spleen are customarily not pronounced, so in many cases, you you won't be aware the enlargement is taking place. Mild pain when you touch or put pressure on the area around the liver may be one of the first distinct signs.
If you're currently experiencing such pain, make sure to talk about it with your physician. Treatment more often than not depends on identifying the fundamental cause and will focus on reducing the swelling. The primary idea will be to limit the swelling and irritation. Antibiotics will be appropriate some of the time, but not all of the time.
You ordinarily do not have to worry about a spleen rupture. But in those few cases where a ruptured spleen occurs, it can lead to a significant blood loss. A ruptured spleen can be fatal. For this reason, enlarged liver and spleen should be without delay treated by a medical professional.
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