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A 45-year-old male asked:

My daughter is having pain and slight swelling in her upper left quadrant. it is below rib cage. what could that be?

1 doctor answer1 doctor weighed in
Dr. John Rodriguez
13 years experience
Spleen or ribs: It can be hard to tell the cause of pain in this region of the body. Teenagers with mono can get an enlarged spleen and have pain from that. Another possibility is pain from the cartilage connected to the ribs ie costochondritis. The lowest ribs have more cartilage than the others that can really get inflamed. (i've had it) the best treatment is motrin. To be sure i would get checked soon.
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Last updated Jun 1, 2015

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