If you ask an ordinary person what, in his opinion, is the strangest and most mysterious organ, the spleen, there will be a thoughtful answer. Most people who are not related to medicine can not formulate why it is still needed. In order to dispel doubts and find out the functions of this, of course, important organ, we decided on a brief excursion into the anatomy and physiology of the body.
Structure
A human spleen is an unpaired organ consisting of pulp held by a dense capsule of connective tissue. From the walls of the capsule, deep into the body, cords (trabeculae) extend, which strengthen the soft parenchyma. Histologically, two layers, or zones, of this organ are distinguished: red and white.
The bulk of the body is red pulp. It depends on it the function of the spleen in the body. And to be precise, there are many tasks before such a small piece of the human body: from the maturation of blood cells to the disposal of foreign particles.
The white part of the pulp has this color due to the high content of lymphocytes in it. Actually, this determines the main direction of activity of this part of the parenchyma - maintaining immunity.
At the border of red and white matter there is a marginal or marginal zone, it is responsible for the calculation and elimination of foreign bacteria in the human body.
The dimensions of the spleen in an adult reach sixteen centimeters in length, six in height and two and a half in thickness. It has the shape of a flattened oval.
Location (topography)
If we take the spine as a landmark, then the borders of the spleen will be in the range from the ninth to eleventh ribs. Above it is the diaphragm, in front is the posterior wall of the stomach and pancreas, on the side is the colon, and in the back is the left kidney and adrenal gland. The peritoneum (a thin sheet of connective tissue), the spleen is completely covered, but at the place of entry and exit of vessels from the organ (gate area), if there is a small area free of peritoneum.
Blood supply and innervation
The structure of the spleen will be incomplete without mentioning such important anatomical features as the vessels and nerves that feed this organ.
The peripheral nervous system is represented on this site by the branches of the
vagus nerve (autonomic part) - it is responsible for performing the functions of the organ, and fibers extending from the splenic plexus (sympathetic part), which transmit pain, proprioceptive and other impulses.
The blood supply to the human spleen arteries extending from the abdominal aorta. They, in turn, are divided into splenic branches, and those into segmental arteries. Then another branching occurs at the level of the trabeculae and the formation of small pulpal arteries.
From the spleen, blood returns to the portal vein system. It is connected directly to the gate of the liver.
Embryogenesis
In the fourth to fifth week after conception, when the embryo is an elongated tube consisting of several tissue sheets, the spleen anlage is laid. But already by the eleventh week of fetal life, the organ takes on its usual form, the processes of accumulation of cells of the future lymphoid tissue take place in it.
The size of the spleen, as well as its function after the birth of a baby, changes over time. Only after reaching adolescence, it is finally formed.
Functions
It cannot be said that each of us thought about the question: “What function does the spleen in the body perform?” And even if such a thought came to mind, it is very difficult to explain the work of this organ to a person who does not have specific knowledge.
First of all, it is a source of white blood cells. It is here that they go through the stages of differentiation, mature and enter the vascular bed. The second function of the spleen in the body is immune. It synthesizes antibodies to any foreign agents that enter the bloodstream. The third, no less important part of the work of this organ is the destruction of old blood cells and, indirectly, the formation of bile. In addition, this function of the spleen in the body is part of metabolic processes and iron synthesis.
It is worth noting what role this organ plays in the processes of redistribution of blood. Almost a third of all platelets (blood plates) are stored in the spleen until the body needs them. Another function of the spleen relates to the period of intrauterine development of the child. When the bone marrow is not yet formed, it is thanks to it that red blood cells and white blood cells move through the vessels of the embryo.
The functions of the spleen in the body remain a mystery to modern doctors. Some of them can be investigated, but much remains a mystery. Official science does not give any definitive answers.
Spleen diseases
Oddly enough, along with the mystery, this body also received vulnerability to various pathological processes. As a rule, these are secondary diseases caused by existing health problems, such as impaired blood formation, immune response, and tumors. The primary lesion of the spleen is an extremely rare occurrence.
Heart attack
The main function of the spleen in the body is hematopoietic, therefore its parenchyma is penetrated by a huge number of vessels. This circumstance, in a normal situation, having a positive effect on the functioning of an organ, can also become a cause of illness. If for whatever reasons, part of the spleen was left without blood supply, its heart attack develops. Ischemization of a small area may not cause discomfort, but if a significant part of the organ is affected, then the person feels a pulling pain. It radiates to the lower back and increases with inhalation.
Inversion of the legs
Like other parenchymal organs, the spleen has a leg, consisting of an artery, two veins and a nerve. They support adequate nutrition and function. Sometimes, with injuries or sudden weight loss, torsion of the legs occurs. This is a life threatening condition. Due to the lack of blood supply, necrosis can occur, and decaying tissue releases toxins that poison the human body. Pain in this condition is strong, dagger, up to loss of consciousness.
Abscess
This is a focus of inflammation in the parenchymal organ, delimited from the rest of the tissue. It occurs due to primary or secondary bacterial infection. At first, it may not manifest itself in any way, but over time, the amount of toxins accumulating in the body will lead to the development of fever, nausea, and vomiting. And then pain will appear. It will spread from the left hypochondrium upwards to the eponymous part of the chest and into the shoulder. The location of the pathological process can be determined using ultrasound and x-rays.
Break
There are two types of spleen ruptures: capsular and subcapsular. The first can be identified immediately both by pain symptom and by the person’s characteristic appearance, as well as the circumstances of the injury. Usually this is an accident, a fight or a fall from a height. The subcapsular rupture is not immediately noticeable and creates a feeling of false well-being. If the gap is small, and the bleeding inside the organ stopped quickly, then medical help will not be needed. This spleen site will be replaced by connective tissue. But in the case of prolonged severe bleeding, the liquid will accumulate under the capsule, stretch it and inevitably lead to rupture of the connective tissue. Infected blood enters the abdominal cavity, causing peritonitis and intra-abdominal bleeding. The pain is intense, sharp, on the left side of the abdomen, extending to the shoulder blade.
Cyst
Often people complain of constant, pulling dull pain in the left hypochondrium. It can spread to the stomach, causing discomfort when eating. And the addition of rashes and itching in the area of the projection of the spleen, encourage people to go to the doctor. A cyst is a finding diagnosis, detected by ultrasound examination of the abdominal organs.
Neoplasms
Benign
Rare enough for the spleen. It can be hemangiomas, lymphomas, endotheliomas or fibromas. They do not cause pain, they do not affect the function of the organ. But if for some reason a benign neoplasm has increased in size so much that it began to stretch the capsule, then dull constant pains may appear, as with a cyst. In this case, it is better to resort to an operational solution to the issue, without waiting for the organ to rupture.
Malignant
They can be both primary, when the tumor is located directly in the spleen, and secondary, metastatic in nature. Primarily develop, as a rule, sarcomas. The rich blood supply to the spleen is an excellent substrate for them. The pain may not appear for many years until the tumor grows, but when it reaches a critical size, a sharp deterioration in health should suggest an oncology. In addition to uncomfortable sensations, weight loss, lack of appetite, and nausea will also be observed.
Splenomegaly
This is an increase in the size of the spleen as a result of a compensatory reaction to systemic inflammatory or autoimmune diseases, as well as damage to the blood forming organs. More often observed in children of preschool and primary school age. In adults, this condition is extremely rare. The pain will be pulling constant in nature, but after eliminating the cause, everything will return to normal.
Perhaps not everyone today knows what kind of organ it is - the spleen, where it is and how it hurts. But the task of the local general practitioner or narrower specialist is to correctly collect the anamnesis to identify damage regardless of the patient’s knowledge of human anatomy. Often, diseases of this organ are masked as gastric, heart, muscle pain, which makes diagnosis difficult.
The structure of the spleen allows it to be a collector of old blood cells and at the same time a cradle for immune units. These are unique abilities that not one other body can compensate for. Inhabitants often underestimate the role of the spleen, but if a thorough analysis is carried out, one may wonder how much its well-being depends. Take care of your health! It is better to live a lifetime and not find out what pain in the left hypochondrium is.
What is a spleen? Where is it and how does it hurt? Such questions are asked by happy people whose bodies work like clockwork.