Knowra Spleen Spleen The spleen is an organ that filters blood, removes aged or damaged blood cells, stores platelets, and supports immune responses against blood-borne threats.
Red pulp : The spleen’s blood-rich tissue removes aged or damaged red blood cells and stores blood cells. Its macrophages and narrow circulation make it the spleen’s principal blood-filtering region.
Erythrocyte : A red blood cell that transports oxygen using hemoglobin. The spleen removes erythrocytes that have become aged, damaged, or too rigid to circulate.
Splenectomy : Surgical removal of the spleen, performed for selected injuries, diseases, or blood disorders. Removing the organ changes infection risk and blood-cell handling.
Lymph node : A small immune organ that filters lymph and provides sites for lymphocyte activation. Unlike lymph nodes, the spleen monitors blood rather than lymph.
Overwhelming post-splenectomy infection : A rapidly progressive, potentially fatal infection occurring in people without effective splenic function. It is the most serious long-term infectious consequence of losing splenic defenses.
White pulp : The spleen’s lymphoid tissue organizes immune responses to antigens carried in blood. Its B-cell follicles and T-cell zones detect blood-borne antigens.
Hemoglobin : The oxygen-binding protein in red blood cells that gives blood much of its red color. Splenic macrophages recover and recycle iron from hemoglobin in removed cells.
Hyposplenism : Reduced splenic function that impairs blood filtration and defense against some infections. It describes partial loss of the functions this organ normally performs.
Liver : A large organ that processes nutrients, produces bile and plasma proteins, and detoxifies blood. The liver also removes circulating material, but its functions extend far beyond immune filtration.
Howell–Jolly body : A small remnant of nuclear DNA found inside a red blood cell. Its presence in circulating blood can indicate impaired splenic removal of cellular inclusions.
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