Tropical splenomegaly. Part 1: Tropical Africa.

The emergence of tropical splenomegaly syndrome as a distinct entity in tropical medical practice has been briefly described, together with its link with malaria. The clinical and haematological aspects of the syndrome have been reviewed with some emphasis on local experience. No attempt has been made to give details of the immunological aspects, but the mechanisms by which the established immunological features of the disease help to understand the pathogenesis of the syndrome have been highlighted.