Inflammatory Illnesses
Inflammation leads to swelling or enlargement therefore this leads to an enlargement of the spleen. Some of these illnesses include lupus and rheumatoid arthritis. In the case of lupus, it causes abnormalities in the blood leading to enlargement of the spleen. Healthy platelets are trapped in the spleen due to attacks by the immune system, leading to a low platelet count and swelling of the spleen. For rheumatoid arthritis, some patients of this disease develop a rare syndrome known as Felty’s Syndrome. This syndrome causes low blood cell count and an enlarged spleen. Other inflammatory diseases like sarcoidosis also cause enlargement of the spleen.
Conclusion
The enlargement of the spleen is caused by various factors that directly or indirectly affect it. Sometimes the enlargement is caused as a secondary effect and not a direct attack on the spleen. This makes tests compulsory if you hope to find out the actual cause of spleen enlargement for doctors to pinpoint the exact problem.
References
[1] https://www.webmd.com/cancer/lymphoma/understanding-leukemia-basics
[2] https://www.hiv.gov/hiv-basics/overview/about-hiv-and-aids/what-are-hiv-and-aids
[3] https://emedicine.medscape.com/article/201066-overview
[4] https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/thalassemia/symptoms-causes/syc-20354995
[5] https://radiopaedia.org/articles/splenic-vein
[6] https://medlineplus.gov/genetics/condition/niemann-pick-disease/