Potential Causes And Risk Factors For An Enlarged Spleen

Hemolytic Anemia

In hemolytic anemia, something causes the destruction of red blood cells before they can be replaced. Some types of this disorder are inherited, while others are caused by bacterial or viral infections, blood cancers such as leukemia and autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis. Certain drugs, such as those that treat malaria, can also destroy red blood cells before the body can replace them. The spleen itself may be overactive and can be destroying the blood cells. This can mean an enlarged spleen as well. The artificial valves placed in some heart disease patients can damage the blood cells. Other individuals experience hemolytic anemia when they have a transfusion of the wrong type of blood.

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Parasitic Infections

Parasitic infections have also been known to cause the spleen to enlarge. Among the parasites that attack the spleen are those that cause toxoplasmosis, malaria, leishmaniasis, and trypanosomiasis. Toxoplasmosis is usually asymptomatic in healthy adults, but is caught when individuals eat undercooked meat infested with the cysts of the parasite. Malaria is caused by the Plasmodium parasite, which is introduced into the body through the bite of an Anopheles mosquito. Leishmaniasis is caused by Leishmania parasites and is spread through the bite of species of sandflies, and trypanosomiasis is spread by the bite of a tsetse fly. Another type of trypanosomiasis called Chagas disease is contracted when an individual is bitten by 'kissing bugs,' which get their name because they bite individuals on the face.

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