Spleen - Effects of Removal

Effects of Removal

See also: Asplenia

Surgical removal causes:

  • modest increases in circulating white blood cells and platelets,
  • diminished responsiveness to some vaccines,
  • increased susceptibility to infection by bacteria and protozoa; in particular, there is an increased risk of sepsis from polysaccharide encapsulated bacteria.

A 28-year follow-up of 740 veterans of World War II who had their spleens removed on the battlefield found that those who had been splenectomized showed a significant excess of mortality from pneumonia (6 rather than the expected 1.3) and a significant excess of mortality from ischemic heart disease (4.1 rather than the expected 3) but not from other conditions.

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