inflamed. It is usually felt in the upper left side of the abdomen, just below the rib cage, and may worsen when breathing deeply, coughing, or pressing on the area.
This pain can result from conditions such as a ruptured spleen, liver disease, or infections that affect blood cell production and circulation. In some cases, spleen pain may radiate to the left shoulder, a sign known as Kehr’s sign, which often indicates irritation of the diaphragm.
Treatment for spleen pain depends on the underlying cause and may include medication, rest, or surgery in more serious cases. Medical evaluation is important, as untreated spleen problems can lead to complications like internal bleeding, anemia, or weakened immunity.
Spleen pain location
Spleen pain is usually felt in the upper left part of the abdomen, just below the rib cage. It often presents as a dull or aching discomfort behind the lower left ribs and may become more noticeable when taking a deep breath, coughing, or pressing on the area.
In some cases, the pain can radiate to the left shoulder, which is a phenomenon known as Kehr's sign. This occurs when the diaphragm is irritated by inflammation or blood from the spleen.
People may also experience a sensation of fullness or early satiety, as the enlarged organ presses against the stomach.
Why does my spleen hurt?
The main causes of spleen pain are:
1. Ruptured spleen
Although this is rare, a spleen can rupture due to car accidents, fist fights or with a broken rib. A spleen rupture is rare because of where it is located - it is protected by the stomach and the thoracic cage. When the spleen does rupture, symptoms may emerge like upper left abdominal pain, increased pain with palpation, dizziness, pallor or nausea.
A ruptured spleen is a medical emergency that can result in a very serious hemorrhage, and therefore you should be assessed and treated immediately.
2. Enlarged spleen
Some situations can stimulate changes to functioning in the spleen, like an increase or decrease in blood cell production. This occurrence usually results in an enlarged spleen. Conditions associated with increased spleen size include pernicious anemia, thalassemia, abnormalities to hemoglobin, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, myelofibrosis, hemolytic anemia and thrombocytopenia.
In addition the spleen can become larger in response to medications, or infections like AIDS, viral hepatitis, cytomegalovirus, tuberculosis, malaria or leishmaniasis.
3. Liver problems
Liver problems, like cirrhosis, hepatic vein obstruction, splenic artery aneurysm, congestive heart failure or portal vein hypertension can also result in an enlarged spleen with upper left abdominal pain.
4. Cellular infiltration
Some illnesses can result in an enlarged spleen and cause pain, like amyloidosis, lymphoma, myeloproliferative syndrome, cysts and metastatic tumors. These illnesses are specifically characterized by cellular infiltration, which is the migration of foreign cells to this organ.
How it is treated
Treatment for spleen pain will depend on what caused the spleen pain in the first place. A ruptured spleen should be surgically removed immediately to prevent further complications. In cases where the spleen pain is related to an infection, antibiotics may be prescribed, while cancer-related pain may need to be treated with chemotherapy or radiation therapy.
In more serious cases, the doctor may advise surgical removal of spleen, also known as a splenectomy. This procedure involves the partial or total removal of the spleen, and is usually performed in patients with cancer, a splenic rupture or splenomegaly.