Hypersplenism is a disorder that causes the spleen to rapidly and prematurely destroy blood cells.

The spleen is located in the upper left area of the abdomen. One of its major functions is to remove blood cells from the body's bloodstream. In hypersplenism, the spleen's normal function accelerates, and it begins to remove cells that may still be normal in function. Sometimes, the spleen will temporarily hold onto up to 90% of the body's platelets and 45% of the red blood cells. Hypersplenism may occur as a primary disease, leading to other complications, or as a secondary disease, resulting from an underlying disease or disorder. Hypersplenism is sometimes referred to as enlarged spleen (splenomegaly). An enlarged spleen is one of the symptoms of hypersplenism. What differentiates hypersplenism is its premature destruction of blood cells.

Hypersplenism may be caused by a variety of disorders. Sometimes, it is brought on by a...