Prevention of Fatal Bacterial Infection in Patients with Anatomic or Functional Asplenia
Authors: ROBERT AUSTRIAN
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (1982)

Editorials1 January 1982Prevention of Fatal Bacterial Infection in Patients with Anatomic or Functional AspleniaROBERT AUSTRIAN, M.D.ROBERT AUSTRIAN, M.D.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-96-1-117 SectionsAboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail ExcerptTwo articles in this issue (1, 2) call attention to the diversity of conditions that can lead to reduced splenic function and to increased vulnerability to overwhelming bacterial infection. Since the report of King and Shumacker (3), the importance of splenic integrity to defense against bacteremia has been increasingly recognized. Both anatomic and functional asplenia may predispose to fulminant sepsis caused chiefly by capsulated bacteria, most often by pneumococci, meningococci, orHaemophilus influenzae. The clinical picture resembles frequently that of the Waterhouse-Friderichsen syndrome. Absence of the spleen may be congenital or the result of surgery for illness or following trauma....References1. COLEMANMCDOUGALLDAILEYAGERBUSHKAPLAN CMMPSH. Functional hyposplenia after irradiation for Hodgkin's disease. Ann Intern Med. 1982;96:44-7. LinkGoogle Scholar2. DILLONSTEINENGLISH AHR. Splenic atrophy in systemic lupus erythematosus. Ann Intern Med. 1982;96:40-3. LinkGoogle Scholar3. KINGSHUMACKER HH. Splenic studies: 1. Susceptibility to infection after splenectomy performed in infancy. Ann Surg. 1952;136:239-42. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. EICHNER E. Splenic function: normal, too much, too little. Am J Med. 1979;66:311-20. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar5. SCHULZWARRENDRINKER RMC. The passage of rabbit virulent type III pneumococci from the respiratory tract of rabbits into the blood. J Exp Med. 1938;68:251-61. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar6. BROWNHOSEAFRANK ESM. 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Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAuthors: ROBERT AUSTRIAN, M.D.Affiliations: The University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine Philadelphia, Pennsylvania PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics Cited byPostsplenectomy CareHematologic manifestations of malignancyInjuries of the spleenAsplenia in a patient with neisseria subflava endocarditisSplenic function: physiology and splenic hypofunctionSPLENECTOMY—A LONG-TERM RISK OF INFECTIONRecurrent, Fatal Hemophilus Influenzae Sepsis in a Splenectomized Child on Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis (CAPD)Host defense abnormalities predisposing the patient to infectionEffect of penicillin prophylaxis on nasopharyngeal colonization with Streptococcus pneumoniae in children with sickle cell anemiaDisseminated Histoplasmosis and AspleniaFREDERICK B. ROSE, M.D., CAROL J. CAMP, M.S., MICHAEL CHISDAK, M.D.Pneumococcal Vaccine: Clinical Efficacy and EffectivenessJ. SANFORD SCHWARTZ, M.D. 1 January 1982Volume 96, Issue 1Page: 117-119KeywordsBacteremiaBacteriaHaemophilus influenzaeSepsisSpleenTrauma surgery ePublished: 1 December 2008 Issue Published: 1 January 1982 PDF downloadLoading ...