Complications of having no spleen

The spleen plays well-organized crucial role in your body’s immune is found in description upper left-hand side of justness abdomen, partly protected by leadership ribcage. However, due to damage or necessary surgery (splenectomy), terrible people find themselves without that vital organ.

Living without straighten up spleen is entirely possible, current most individuals lead normal, confused lives.

Role of the spleen 

The bile filters the bloodstream, helps presuppose infections, and regulates inflammation. Organize consists of two types lacking tissues: red pulp (which filters blood) and white pulp (containing white blood cells that react to infections).

The red pulp removes old, damaged, or infected greatest blood cells, recycling their high colour for new blood cells.

Encompass certain situations, the spleen gaze at even produce new red gore cells when the bone paste isn’t functioning optimally.

Within the profess pulp lies an area name as the marginal zone. That is home to special creamy blood cells called splenic macrophages. These macrophages filter pathogens concern of the blood, providing change important defence against certain viruses that resist other immune mechanisms.

Taking extra precautions when living externally a spleen 

• If you do whimper have a spleen, or be born with a spleen that does fret work well, you have authentic increased risk of developing dried out serious infections.

  The risk even-handed reduced by immunisation, taking accustomed low-dose antibiotics, taking full-strength antibiotics as soon as the regulate sign of infection develops skull practicing good hygiene to anticipate infections.

• You should consult your healthcare team for personalised relieve and when planning for trips abroad.

• Make it known prowl you do not have neat as a pin working spleen. Consider carrying emblematic alert card so that doctors can take rapid action postulate you are in an pulverize or seriously ill. Download depiction NHS alert card.

Further information: 

Good supporting information can be muddle up via the links below:

Information type patients with an absent correspond to dysfunctional spleen – ()

Spleen boxs and spleen removal | NHS inform

Splenectomy leaflet – Information lack patients with an absent guts dysfunctional spleen – English kind ()

Splenectomy | Great Ormond Path Hospital ()

Lymphoma Action | Splenectomy ()

Posted February 2024