Why does everywhere I read an enlarged... - British Liver Trust

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Why does everywhere I read an enlarged spleen means cirrhosis

Millenium profile image
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As you guys know from my first post I have severe fatty liver and enlarged spleen I have been reading up on this and trying to find out the best way too fix this but everywhere I go it says enlarged spleen is only in advanced liver disease like cirrhosis this has obviously got me worried is there anyway I have had an enlarged spleen and reversible fatty liver???

thank you

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Millenium
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AyrshireK profile image
AyrshireK

Here is an excerpt from the WebMD page and as it shows, there are numerous reasons a spleen may become enlarged - not just cirrhosis but other liver diseases too. So, I wouldn't be over concerned and carry on doing your best to reverse the fatty liver issue.

"A spleen is normally about the size of your fist. A doctor usually can't feel it during an exam. But diseases can cause it to swell and become many times its normal size. Because the spleen is involved in many functions, many conditions may affect it.

An enlarged spleen is not always a sign of a problem. When a spleen becomes enlarged, though, it often means it has been doing its job but has become overactive. For example, sometimes the spleen is overactive in removing and destroying blood cells. This is called hypersplenism. It can happen for many reasons, including problems with too many platelets and other disorders of the blood.

Causes of an Enlarged Spleen

An enlarged spleen can be caused by infections, cirrhosis and other liver diseases, blood diseases characterized by abnormal blood cells, problems with the lymph system, or other conditions."

Katie

Millenium profile image
Millenium in reply to AyrshireK

Thank you Katie I guess maybe I am over paranoid and the doctor said don;t worry about it at this point but its impossible not too worry about something that could have a severe impact on my future. I just hope my fatty liver is the cause and when my liver repairs itself my spleen will repair too.

I don;t have any symptoms that I know of so meh

It seems that it comes up most frequently if not seemingly always with cirrhosis attached to it when it comes to liver disease. It is not as common but I know it can be found in alcoholic hepatitis. I have heard it can also be found in non alcoholic fatty liver disease but I have yet to find any solid literature on it. As to the post about WebMD it is true however splenomegaly and hypersplenism are not the same thing. Though they can exist at the same time they are completely seperate issues. Hypersplenism can occur in the spleen at ANY size. Splenomegaly is enlargment of the spleen. The enlargment could be caused by many things but often in liver disease its caused as a result of portalhypertension which typically means cirrhosis. There is whats known as non cirrhotic portal hypertension as well as it is possible that the splenomegaly is beimg caused by something non liver related. Almost always spleen enlargment is secondary to an underlying infection, malignancy, or disease. Primary splenomegaly or where the causes is within the spleen itself is quite rare. WebMD btw is a poor site to visit. Id suggest to google "splenomegaly, mayo clinic" if you are going to look on the internet. Regardless of what WebMD says splenomegaly doesnt just happen in people and tho may not itself cause any problems, finding out the underlying cause is of upmost importance. If it is in fact caused by fatty liver you should see it resolve as your fatty liver repairs I would think. The size of the enlargment is also a key factor in identifying its origin.

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