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What Are The Causes And Symptoms of Enlarged Liver And Spleen Problems

13th February, 2011 - Posted by health news - No Comments

Most people understand what an enlarged liver is. There are probably a lesser number of people who know what an enlarged spleen is. Fewer still probably know about a disorder in which both of these medical problems take place at the same time.

An enlarged liver is called hepatomegaly by doctors. Enlarged spleens are known as splenomegaly. While either disorder can happen independently of the other, they both sometimes materialize at the same time., in which case the condition is called hepatosplenomegaly. Most people simply call the ailment enlarged liver and spleen disease.

It should be noted, however, that neither an enlarged liver nor an enlarged spleen are regarded as diseases themselves. Instead, they are a symptom of some other malady.

So, what are the causes of enlarged liver and spleen? And how dangerous can they be?

In general, an enlarged liver is the result of an infection. It might also be due to toxins like dangerous drugs, alcohol, or harmful substances in your environment. Often liver enlargement is triggered by some other medical disorder. It might also be due to a metabolic ailment.

An enlarged spleen, on the other hand, occurs because of conditions or diseases that precipitate destruction of red blood cells in the spleen.

Hepatosplenomegaly, the combination of enlarged liver and spleen, is characteristically caused by a disease or condition 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 trigger great suffering in the liver area. A variety of genetic conditions as sickle cell anemia also cause spleen and liver enlargement.

Enlarged liver and spleen may perhaps be hard for doctors to detect due to the fact that there aren’t many symptoms. But there are some clues that can help your health care provider make a diagnosis. The clearest of these is tenderness in the liver area and trouble digesting sizeable, rich meals. Your may possibly need to undergo a variety of tests to get a firm diagnosis.

As mentioned above, symptoms of enlarged liver and spleen are commonly 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 appreciable signs.

If you’re currently experiencing such pain, make sure to discuss it with your medical care provider. treatment will vary from one person to another, depending on the cause. Your doctor will focus on relieving the pain by lowering the swelling. Depending on the cause for the enlarged organs, antibiotics may be appropriate, but this is not true in all cases.

Even though the spleen will be enlarged, there’s usually no need for concern about a rupture. It can occur however, and if it does, there’s ordinarily a serious blood loss. A ruptured spleen can be fatal. For this reason, enlarged liver and spleen should be promptly treated by a medical professional.

Learn more by clicking on enlarged liver and spleen disorder and enlarged liver.