Red pulp

Looks like

The spongy, blood-filled bulk of the spleen, made of cords and wide leaky vessels.

What it does

Removes old and damaged red cells and stores platelets and blood.

Keeping it well

Enlarges in liver disease and some blood disorders; an enlarged spleen can rupture, so contact sport after glandular fever is avoided for several weeks.

Related conditions

• Autoimmune haemolytic anaemia
• Brucellosis
• Chronic leukaemia (CML & CLL)
• Essential thrombocythaemia
• G6PD deficiency (favism)
• Hereditary spherocytosis
• Immune thrombocytopenia
• Infectious mononucleosis
• Leishmaniasis
• Lymphoma (Hodgkin & non-Hodgkin)
• Malaria
• Myelofibrosis
• Polycythaemia vera
• Portal vein thrombosis and Budd–Chiari syndrome
• Sickle cell disease
• Thalassaemia