ABSTRACT
Infections in the asplenic or hyposplenic host can be severe, rapidly progressive, and fatal, going from a totally asymptomatic individual to death within 24 hours. This may occur even with rapid recognition and therapeutic intervention. This chapter overviews splenic function and the disease entity itself. The discussion focuses on epidemiology, clinical presentation, differential diagnosis, microbiology, laboratory evaluation, therapeutic interventions, and preventive therapy. Educating the patient to inform all healthcare workers about the state of their spleen will assist in rapid diagnosis, as the process may present decades after the splenectomy.
