Hypersplenism

Changed by Laurent Bilodeau, 25 Jan 2018

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Hypersplenism is a ~~cytopaenia~~ cytopaenia resulting from blood pooling in the spleen, and is almost always associated with splenomegaly.

Pathology

Aetiology

There is an almost overwhelming list, some more common causes are given below^1,3,4:

congestive splenomegaly: cirrhosis, Budd-Chiari syndrome, portal vein obstruction
infections: viral, malaria, tuberculosis
inflammation: sarcoidosis, SLE
chronic haemolytic disorders: haemolytic anaemia, polycythaemia rubra vera
malignancy:
- haematological: myeloproliferative disorders, lymphoma, leukaemia, histiocytosis X
- non-haematological: metastases, sarcoma, haemangioma
storage disorders: Gaucher ~~disease~~ disease
other: primary splenic hyperplasia, hyperthyroidism, wandering spleen

Complications

Splenic rupture
Splenic volvulus
Hemorragic and infectious complications due to the pancytopenia

Treatment and prognosis

Hypersplenism does not often require treatment because the cytopaenia is often not severe enough to cause significant bleeding ¹. Splenectomy or splenic embolisation can be considered if warranted.

-<p><strong>Hypersplenism</strong> is a cytopaenia resulting from blood pooling in the <a href="/articles/spleen-1">spleen</a>, and is almost always associated with <a href="/articles/splenomegaly">splenomegaly</a>. </p><h4>Pathology</h4><h5>Aetiology</h5><p>There is an almost overwhelming list, some more common causes are given below <sup>1,3,4</sup>:</p><ul>
+<p><strong>Hypersplenism</strong> is a cytopaenia resulting from blood pooling in the <a href="/articles/spleen-1">spleen</a>, and is almost always associated with <a href="/articles/splenomegaly">splenomegaly</a>. </p><h4>Pathology</h4><h5>Aetiology</h5><p>There is an almost overwhelming list, some more common causes are given below <sup>1,3,4</sup>:</p><ul>
~~-<li>storage disorders: Gaucher disease</li>~~
+<li>storage disorders: Gaucher disease</li>
+</ul><h4>Complications</h4><ul>
+<li>Splenic rupture</li>
+<li>Splenic volvulus</li>
+<li>Hemorragic and infectious complications due to the pancytopenia</li>