Spleen Pain Symptoms , Location And Causes

Spleen Pain Symptoms , Location And Causes . Spleen pain is often a severe pain that grows in intensity. It is caused by a small organ in the body known as spleen. Most of us have experienced a strong pain in the left side of the rib cage during running or doing high intensity exercises. This is known as side stitch. This very common pain is attributed to spleen, although that is not very clear. Spleen is the organ that filters blood. And as a result, it is filled with blood. Fluctuations in its size occur because of body's activities and changes in blood flow patterns. If the spleen enlarges in size, it usually pains.
A severe pain in the left side of abdomen, close to the lowest ribs is often spleen pain. It is should not be neglected and one should hurry to the hospital. The spleen may not show any other symptoms if it is experiencing any problems and all that you feel is a sudden pain. In severe cases, spleen may be enlarged a lot and rupture, which is life threatening. So, one should hurry to the hospital if such a pain is suspected.
Other symptoms associated with spleen pain may be :

• There can be accompanying chest pain or abdominal pain. There may be pain in the whole area near the left end of rib cage, the left side flanks, lower left back, stomach and chest. 
• Person may feel feverish. 
• Anemia can occur. Person may feel weak and breathlessness can occur. Person may experience reduction in appetite. The person may feel full after eating much lesser than what he or she generally takes.
• There may be variation in intensity of pain on deep breathing. Enlarged spleen may touch other structures in the interior of the body. The contact may produce tightness and pain. 
• Blood pressure may fluctuate. If the blood pressure goes out of normal ranges, one should act promptly. It is generally a sign of spleen damage. 

Causes of spleen pain and enlargement are not many. In fact, the spleen is a very resistant organ but it can also be subject to damage from infections. Some of the most common causes of spleen enlargement worldwide are : 

• The disease malaria causes massive enlargement of spleen. This kind of enlargement is also seen in a deadly disease known as black fever or kala-azar. It is a very specific disease that occurs only in remote areas of the world and is caused by a parasite. 
• Bone marrow diseases and blood cancer are deadly disease which have enlarged spleen as a symptom. Therefore, spleen pain may help to identify these diseases early. 
• Leukemia is a kind of cancer which can cause spleen pain besides many other symptoms. 
• Injury to the spleen or surrounding areas ( the rib cage, middle back etc ) often leads to pain from the spleen. 
• Other bacterial, viral or any other kind of infection in the body may lead to spleen enlargement, thus producing pain. 

Spleen pain should be a cause for concern for anyone. One should head to a doctor or a hospital, irrespective of whether the pain is severe or not. Spleen infection may keep on raising the enlargement and mild pain may become severe any time.