What do our spleens do, and what happens to us if it is removed?
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The spleen serves a few functions in our body. It is the largest organ in our lymphatic system (specifically the immune system part) and its main function is to filter away and destroy old blood cells, recycles iron within the blood (a vital component for oxygen-carrying capacity of blood), and stores both white blood cells (used for fighting infections) and platelets (used for blood clotting). It also keeps a reservoir of around 240 ml of blood that can be released into the body if the body is experiencing significant blood loss.
People can and do live without a spleen, but they are at much higher risk of contracting a severe infection and usually take longer to fight infections in general. Around 10-30% of the population have an accessory spleen which may take up the workload of the removed one.
A spleen may be removed because of a rupture due to physical trauma or infection, certain blood disorders, and tumors or cancer. A ruptured spleen is quite dangerous and may become quickly life-threatening because of how much blood circulates through the spleen.
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