SPLENOMEGALY: MAIN CAUSES IN A LITERATURE REVIEW

Abstract

Splenomegaly is a medical condition characterized by an increase in the size of the spleen beyond its normal limits. The spleen is an organ located in the upper left quadrant of the abdomen, whose functions include filtering blood, destroying old blood cells and producing lymphocytes. Splenomegaly can be an indicator of several underlying pathologies and is often discovered during a physical examination or through imaging methods such as ultrasound or computed tomography. Splenomegaly can be asymptomatic or present with symptoms such as abdominal discomfort, a feeling of fullness after eating small amounts of food, pain referred to the left shoulder and, in severe cases, complications such as hypersplenism (excess destruction of blood cells). The diagnosis of splenomegaly is based on clinical history, physical examination, and imaging methods. This narrative literature review brought together articles published in the last ten years in the PUBMED and SciELO databases, aiming to indicate the main conditions that can lead to splenomegaly. It was concluded that it can be caused mainly by infections, hemopathies, liver diseases, metabolic and autoimmune diseases.