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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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What Is The Function Of Spleen?

My daughter has Von Willibrands disease and has recently been complaining of pain in the left side of abdomen and now that she has started her menstral cycle, has huge blood clots (she s 16). Went to the hematologist today, did blood work and an ultrasound of spleen as he thought it was enlarged, obviously don t have the results yet as we just went today. Any ideas as to what is going on? Should I be worried? What exactly is the function of the spleen and blood?
Wed, 23 Dec 2015
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General & Family Physician 's  Response
Hello,
Welcome to HCM.

I understand your concern regarding enlargement of spleen of your daughter and the huge blood clots on her periods.

Spleen's main function is to act as a filter for your blood.

It recognizes and removes old, malformed, or damaged red blood cells.

When blood flows into your spleen, your spleen performs "quality control"; your red blood cells must pass through a maze of narrow passages.

Healthy blood cells simply pass through the spleen and continue to circulate throughout your bloodstream.

Blood cells that can't pass the test will be broken down in your spleen by macrophages.

Macrophages are large white blood cells that specialize in destroying these unhealthy red blood cells.

Your daughter must get immediate medical attention to rule out any infection which causes her spleen to enlarged and blood clots could be due to initiation of periods.

Consult physician and gynecologist respectively for further clinical assessment.

Regards,
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What Is The Function Of Spleen?

Hello, Welcome to HCM. I understand your concern regarding enlargement of spleen of your daughter and the huge blood clots on her periods. Spleen s main function is to act as a filter for your blood. It recognizes and removes old, malformed, or damaged red blood cells. When blood flows into your spleen, your spleen performs quality control ; your red blood cells must pass through a maze of narrow passages. Healthy blood cells simply pass through the spleen and continue to circulate throughout your bloodstream. Blood cells that can t pass the test will be broken down in your spleen by macrophages. Macrophages are large white blood cells that specialize in destroying these unhealthy red blood cells. Your daughter must get immediate medical attention to rule out any infection which causes her spleen to enlarged and blood clots could be due to initiation of periods. Consult physician and gynecologist respectively for further clinical assessment. Regards,