[2] Lack of a spleen, called asplenia, can occur by autosplenectomy or the surgical counterpart, splenectomy.
[3] Autosplenectomy can occur in cases of sickle-cell disease where the misshapen cells block blood flow to the spleen, causing scarring and eventual atrophy of the organ.
[5] Vaccination against encapsulated bacteria and prophylactic antibiotics can be used to counteract lowered immunity in asplenic patients.
[6] Splenic function can be measured by filtering capabilities, as indicated by number of Howell-Jolly bodies or pitted erythrocytes in the blood.
[2] This ischemia can result in splenic sequestration, where large amounts of blood pool in the spleen but do not flow within vasculature.