Lymphocytes can be produced and reach maturity in the white pulp. The red pulp monitors red blood cells, determines which ones are abnormal or too old or damaged to function properly, and destroys them. Consequently, the red pulp is sometimes called the red blood cell graveyard. As a result, the body's ability to fight infection is reduced. Splenomegaly can reduce the number of red and white blood cells and platelets in the circulation.
Many diseases can make the spleen enlarge.
To pinpoint the cause, a doctor must consider disorders ranging from blood cancers to chronic infections. When the enlarged spleen traps large numbers of abnormal blood cells, the cells clog the spleen, interfering with its functioning. Eventually, the greatly enlarged spleen also traps normal blood cells, destroying them along with the abnormal ones. Symptoms An enlarged spleen doesn't cause many symptoms, and none of them reveals the specific cause of enlargement. Because the enlarged spleen lies next to the stomach and may press against it, a person may feel full after eating a small snack or even without eating.