The spleen is a small organ located inside the left rib cage, just above the stomach, and is part of the lymphatic system, which is a component of the immune system
. It has several important functions:
- Filtering blood : The spleen acts as a filter for your blood, recognizing and removing old, malformed, or damaged red blood cells
- Producing white blood cells : The spleen produces infection-fighting white blood cells, which help protect the body from infections
- Controlling blood cell levels : The spleen controls the level of various blood cells, including white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets
If the spleen does not function properly, it may start to remove healthy blood cells, leading to issues such as anemia, an increased risk of infection, and bleeding or bruising
. In cases where the spleen is damaged or removed, other parts of the lymphatic system can take over its functions
. However, the liver is the organ most commonly able to take over many of the spleen's duties
