![health-3961686_1280.jpg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmcyvgCtKMTQdKEmzQ6NmymGYH1NnXrQdEAPBtV9ys2uZi/health-3961686_1280.jpg)https://pixabay.com/photos/health-wellness-fitness-strength-3961686/ Hey Steemians, ever heard of the saying "Health is wealth", and for one to stay healthy one needs to be knowledgeable about their body and how to keep them healthy, show me a healthy man and I will show you how wealthy the holder of the wealth is worth. I love health talks and that is why I am joining in this contest to share my knowledge on this topic "Spleen Disease" I am super excited steemians, remember this contest is with the intention of educating ourselves for the sake of some of us who aren't into the medical field, I will be working with simple terms. let’s jump in! ### What do you know about them? ![freepik__upload__18562.png](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmYvv3uqQQ7tuCqNs3dWa4FP5G3X6BaqreicdW8afiunE1/freepik__upload__18562.png) Image by brgfx on Freepik First we need to understand what is a Spleen? A spleen is a fist sized organ in the upper left size of your abdomen, next to your stomach and behind your left ribs. The spleen organ is responsible for balancing the lymphatic system (Primarily responsible for blood cleansing and defense against bacteria and viruses) in general. A disease affecting this organ can be so severe enough to warrant complete shutdown of the organ or removal for redundancy, that way most of it functions like blood cleansing and filtration are then completely outsourced to other organs like the liver and kidney, this is to let you know that it is not much of a life-threatening situation basically because the affected organ in question is not a "vital organ" (organs essentially for good health functions and quality of life in general). I know there are different types of spleen diseases, but I will put it in two simple terms for better understanding, we have; The ruptured spleen: The spleen can become rupture for various reasons, people getting involved in a fight, and gets a punch in the abdomen, during car accidents, broken ribs, some sport games, a stab etc., can lead to the spleen getting ruptured, a lot of us do not even know when our spleen gets ruptured, for the sake of that knowledge, I will list out possible signs to look out this way, you can visit the hospital for a proper checkup: Dizziness. Rapid heartbeat. Pains behind your ribs. Tenderness of the spleen area (When your press the spleen location). ### Be aware that a rupture spleen is not life threatening, but can cause a life threatening bleeding when been ignored. There is also another spleen disease, the enlarged spleen. Unlike the ruptured spleen which is visible symptoms, an enlarged spleen becomes swollen, caused by injuries and infection. There is health condition that can cause a human’s spleen to enlarge, like leukemia, I believe we are all familiar with this blood disease. This particular spleen disease leaves you with no visible symptoms, but there are things to look out for; Frequent infection Fatigue Easily bleeding, no matter the injury. Pain and discomfort behind your left ribs. Feeling full quickly during meals. A spleen can go from being enlarge to being ruptured, is the patient is careless about their health. If a spleen is enlarged there is no need for removal, instead treatments, doctors prescribe medications like antibiotics which does the job. But if ruptured, surgery is needed if treatment does not work, during this stage the spleen is completely removed, do not panic one can live without a spleen organ. ### You or someone you know has or had spleen problems? None of the above has ever applied to me. ### What steps can we take to keep our spleen healthy and prevent it from diseases? Having the knowledge about this disease is not just enough, and acknowledging the fact that it not life threatening does not mean, we should treat it carelessly. It Important we follow some procedures to maintain a healthy life generally. Now how do we apply this consciousness to this fragile organ "Spleen organ" Stay hydrated always - Drink plenty of water. ![water-5767178_1280.png](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmX7TDZkQmZNyGJvC2N32f78qRN8nPWEEC2foRNorshZQQ/water-5767178_1280.png)https://pixabay.com/vectors/water-drink-body-human-hydration-5767178/ Healthy weight - Obesity can affect your spleen, try to maintain a healthy weight as this can affect your spleen organ. ![obesity-3114559_1280.png](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmNYqPeB8e3N5EKw8HnbxxB43neKcMrMvh8U3rM3UdEx3h/obesity-3114559_1280.png)https://pixabay.com/vectors/obesity-fatness-love-handles-3114559/ Eating habit - Stop skipping your meals, eat balance diets. Healthy eating habit helps to safe your spleen organ. ![diet-1869131_1280.jpg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmVkW38CVSK1XRnYLxvUsii4emnrgyiD1fhWWvjfiQJJQu/diet-1869131_1280.jpg)https://pixabay.com/photos/diet-dish-food-healthy-meal-plate-1869131/ Limit the intake of sugary things - All the sweet tooth in the house, replace excess consumption of sugary food with food that's has natural sweet veggies like carrot, potatoes (Stomach best friend), onion, cabbage etc. ![child-575527_1280.png](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmXHqX4FD8eZdKBPfT9pgyLxtWk2vYWHqNNaxFV4rfU31B/child-575527_1280.png)https://pixabay.com/vectors/child-candy-eating-kid-sugar-575527/ Keep fit - Exercise regularly. ![zumba-4333580_1280.jpg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmbCeoKy657WWDFNXbt6H9uHPX3bf8vfJQHkgirXMLHRcZ/zumba-4333580_1280.jpg)https://pixabay.com/photos/zumba-marathon-sport-exercise-4333580/ Avoid fighting (https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmdnZ61RShLKuhWzhEgcWzXL6NrE1u6HKmYdXnmdcU3K8N/boxing-7490185_1280.jpg)https://pixabay.com/photos/boxing-fighting-sports-ring-7490185/ If you have an enlarged spleen avoid sports, follow your doctor’s recommendation, avoid alcohol, protect yourself against infection, remember you are trying to get your spleen organ back to health. In a case were the person already has their spleen organ removed, there are principles for you to follow, staying up to date with your vaccination (As your other organs has a high risk of having health complication, since the spleen is no longer available to balancing the lymphatic system (Primarily responsible for blood cleansing and defense against bacteria and viruses) in general). Finally, I leave you with the saying that knowledge is power and health is wealth. Pass this knowledge across to other people around you, you might just be a step close to saying an organ. Thank you for reading through my post and I believe you learnt something from this educative contest. I will like to invite other steemians to join in this contest @ngozi996 @megareigns @emishael60.