Liver Disease Symptoms

There are many different types of liver disease. But no matter what type you have, the damage to your liver is likely to progress in a similar way.
Whether your liver is infected with a virus, injured by chemicals, or under attack from your own immune system, the basic danger is the same – that your liver will become so damaged that it can no longer work to keep you alive. Anything that keeps your liver from doing its job may put your life in danger.

The Healthy Liver

Your liver helps fight infections and cleans your blood. It also helps digest food and stores energy for when you need it. A healthy liver has the amazing ability to grow back, or regenerate, when it is damaged. Anything that keeps your liver from doing its job – or from growing back after injury – may put your life in danger.

Liver Inflammation

In the early stage of any liver disease, your liver may become inflamed. It may become tender and enlarged. Inflammation shows that your body is trying to fight an infection or heal an injury. But if the inflammation continues over time, it can start to hurt your liver permanently.
When most other parts of your body become inflamed, you can feel it – the area becomes hot and painful. But an inflamed liver may cause you no discomfort at all. If your liver disease is diagnosed and treated successfully at this stage, the inflammation may go away.

Liver Fibrosis

If left untreated, the inflamed liver will start to scar. As excess scar tissue grows, it replaces healthy liver tissue. This process is called fibrosis. (Scar tissue is a kind of fibrous tissue.)

Scar tissue cannot do the work that healthy liver tissue can. Moreover, scar tissue can keep blood from flowing through your liver. As more scar tissue builds up, your liver may not work as well as it once did. Or, the healthy part of your liver has to work harder to make up for the scarred part. If your liver disease is diagnosed and treated successfully at this stage, there’s still a chance that your liver can heal itself over time.

Liver Cirrhosis

But if left untreated, your liver may become so seriously scarred that it can no longer heal itself. This stage – when the damage cannot be reversed – is calledcirrhosis. Cirrhosis can lead to a number of complications, including liver cancer. In some people, the symptoms of cirrhosis may be the first signs of liver disease.

• You may bleed or bruise easily.
• Water may build up in your legs and/or abdomen.
• Your skin and eyes may take on a yellow color, a condition called jaundice.
• Your skin may itch intensely.
• In blood vessels leading to your liver, the blood may back up because of blockage. These blood vessels may burst.
• You may become more sensitive to medications and their side effects.
• You may develop insulin resistance and type-2 diabetes.
• Toxins may build up in your brain, causing problems with concentration, memory, sleeping, or other mental functions.

Once you’ve been diagnosed with cirrhosis, treatment will focus on keeping your condition from getting worse. It may be possible to stop or slow the liver damage. It is important to protect the healthy liver tissue you have left.

Liver Failure

Liver failure means that your liver is losing or has lost all of its function. It is a life-threatening condition that demands urgent medical care.
The first symptoms of liver failure are often nausea, loss of appetite, fatigue, and diarrhea. Because these symptoms can have any number of causes, it may be hard to tell that the liver is failing.

But as liver failure progresses, the symptoms become more serious. The patient may become confused and disoriented, and extremely sleepy. There is a risk of coma and death. Immediate treatment is needed. The medical team will try to save whatever part of the liver that still works. If this is not possible, the only option may be a liver transplant. When liver failure occurs as a result of cirrhosis, it usually means that the liver has been failing gradually for some time, possibly for years. This is called chronic liver failure.  Chronic liver failure can also be caused by malnutrition. More rarely, liver failure can occur suddenly, in as little as 48 hours. This is called acute liver failure and is usually a reaction to poisoning or a medication overdose.

Cirrhosis, liver cancer, and liver failure are serious conditions that can threaten your life. Once you have reached these stages of liver disease, your treatment options may be very limited.

That’s why it’s important to catch liver disease early, in the inflammation and fibrosis stages. If you are treated successfully at these stages, your liver may have a chance to heal itself and recover.

The liver is the second largest organ in the body. It is in the upper part of the abdominal cavity and on the right beneath the diaphragm so it is protected by the ribs. It weighs about 3 pounds and it is divided into main lobes, the right and left. The lobes contain liver cells and passage ways for the blood circulation that are called sinusoids. In the lobes the liver cells can transform chemical substances into nutrients and neutralizes toxins. The liver plays a huge role in circulation and composition of blood, the health of the liver can affect all the systems in the body from thinking to hormone regulation.

Cirrhosis of the liver is a slow processing disease. The healthy liver tissue is taken over by scar tissue and then prevents the liver from functioning normally. The flow of blood is blocked when to much scar tissue is formed.

Hepatitis C, fatty liver disease, and alcohol abuse are the most common causes of liver cirrhosis. Fatty liver disease is caused mostly by obesity and diabetes. A lot of people that are heavy drinkers do harm there livers in some way but not everyone will get cirrhosis. Women are at more risk than men. People who have hepatitis B or C are more likely to suffer from liver damage caused by alcohol.

Liver disease is any disease that is affecting the liver; this can range from any of the diseases mentioned in the above paragraph to cancer of liver. Most common causes of disease are like mentioned alcohol abuse, hepatitis, hemochromatosis, taking medications, autoimmune hepatitis, biliary cirrhosis, Wilson’s disease, and antiitrysin deficiency.

It is not recommended that if you have liver disease you drink alcohol and take medications. Taking Tylenol can be safe if you take less than six tablets a day and ibuprofen can be safe to if you have no ulcers, cirrhosis, and have normal kidneys. Keeping a close on diet is a good thing too, if you don’t have cirrhosis you can have a low fat, low cholesterol, and low sodium. People with liver disease that are overweight might have too much fat in their liver and can develop more damage from the fat. Having cirrhosis, a high protein diet is recommended, though red meat should be avoided.

People with liver disease are at risk for getting infections, this can cause an even more severe disease. There is vaccines that can be administered to prevent some of the infections that can occur. There are vaccines for hepatitis A and B, and pneumonia.

You can improve you liver health if you haven’t damaged it too badly. You liver can regenerate liver cells if any sign of disease can be caught before it becomes a major problem. A life style change may help your liver repair itself. Eating to much can cause your liver to work over time, if it is necessary to eat in between meals try a salad, piece of fruit, or some juice. Make sure you drink plenty of water to flush toxins out of the body. Limiting sugar intake can prevent excess cholesterol from forming in the liver.

Don’t worry about losing calories either. Focus on what you are eating and how much of it you are eating. If you have any food allergies you should avoid them at all costs. Your body cannot digest the foods you allergic too. So there is no point in eating it. Detox, keep your intestines clean also avoid constipation as well, it piles up bacteria that can affect liver functions. You can also keep your intestines clean by only heating meat once before eating it. Same with processed foods and meat, they have bacteria in a resting state and they can come alive in the intestines after being eaten.

Taking a supplement and a multi vitamin are important to make sure that you get the nutrients that you need as well Alterative Health Supplements offers a number of multivitamins and liver supplements that can help you keep you liver healthy. One of the liver supplements offered is called Liver Care by Himalaya. It is an all natural product that helps protecting the liver against harmful toxins. It is also kosher certified and it helps regulate the enzymes and optimizes assimilation. Liver Care has been proven to be very beneficial to the liver in times of serious liver diseases it helps to maintain levels of serum cholesterol, lipoproteins, phospholipids, and triglycerides. Some of the natural ingredients in Liver Care is Capers, Chicory, and Yarrow.

Liver disease is a broad term describing any single number of diseases affecting the liver. Many are accompanied by jaundice caused by increased levels of bilirubin in the system. The bilirubin results from the breakup of the hemoglobin of dead red blood cells; normally, the liver removes bilirubin from the blood and excretes it through bile.

Liver Diseases

• Hepatitis, inflammation of the liver, caused mainly by various viruses but also by some poisons, autoimmunity or hereditary conditions.
• Cirrhosis is the formation of fibrous tissue in the liver, replacing dead liver cells. The death of the liver cells can for example be caused by viral hepatitis, alcoholism or contact with other liver-toxic chemicals.
• Haemochromatosis, a hereditary disease causing the accumulation of iron in the body, eventually leading to liver damage.
• Cancer of the liver (primary hepatocellular carcinoma or cholangiocarcinoma and metastatic cancers, usually from other parts of the gastrointestinal tract).
• Wilson’s disease, a hereditary disease which causes the body to retain copper.
• Primary sclerosing cholangitis, an inflammatory disease of the bile duct, likely autoimmune in nature.
• Primary biliary cirrhosis, autoimmune disease of small bile ducts.
• Budd-Chiari syndrome, obstruction of the hepatic vein.
• Gilbert’s syndrome, a genetic disorder of bilirubin metabolism, found in about 5% of the population.
• Glycogen storage disease type II, the build-up of glycogen causes progressive muscle weakness (myopathy) throughout the body and affects various body tissues, particularly in the heart, skeletal muscles, liver and nervous system.

There are also many pediatric liver disease, including biliary atresia, alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, alagille syndrome, and progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis, to name but a few.

Symptoms of a Diseased Liver

The external signs include a coated tongue, bad breath, skin rashes, itchy skin, excessive sweating, offensive body odor, dark circles under the eyes, red swollen and itchy eyes, acne rosacea, brownish spots and blemishes on the skin, flushed facial appearance or excessive facial blood vessels.

Other symptoms include jaundice, dark urine, pale stool, bone loss, easy bleeding, itching, small, spider-like blood vessels visible in the skin, enlarged spleen, fluid in the abdominal cavity, chills, pain from the biliary tract or pancrea, and an enlarged gallbladder.

The symptoms related to liver dysfunction include both physical signs and a variety of symptoms related to digestive problems, blood sugar problems, immune disorders, abnormal absorption of fats, and metabolism problems.

The malabsorption of fats may lead to symptoms that include indigestion, reflux, hemorrhoids, gall stones, intolerance to fatty foods, intolerance to alcohol, nausea and vomiting attacks, abdominal bloating, and constipation.

Nervous system disorders include depression, mood changes, especially anger and irritability, poor concentration and “foggy brain”, overheating of the body, especially the face and torso, and recurrent headaches (including migraine) associated with nausea.

The blood sugar problems include a craving for sugar, hypoglycaemia and unstable blood sugar levels, and the onset of type 2 diabetes.

Abnormalities in the level of fats in the blood stream include elevated LDL cholesterol, reduced HDL cholesterol, elevated triglycerides, clogged arteries leading to high blood pressure heart attacks and strokes, build up of fat in other body organs (fatty degeneration of organs), lumps of fat in the skin (lipomas and other fatty tumors), excessive weight gain (which may lead to obesity), inability to lose weight even while dieting, sluggish metabolism, protuberant abdomen (pot belly), cellulite, fatty liver, and a roll of fat around the upper abdomen

1. Chest Pain or Chest Discomfort

Few symptoms are more alarming than chest pain. In the minds of many people, chest pain equals heart pain. And while many other conditions can cause chest pain, cardiac disease is so common – and so dangerous – that the symptom of chest pain should never be dismissed out of hand as being insignificant.

“Chest pain” is an imprecise term. It is often used to describe any pain, pressure, squeezing, choking, numbness or any other discomfort in the chest, neck, or upper abdomen, and is often associated with pain in the jaw, head, or arms. It can last from less than a second to days or weeks, can occur frequently or rarely, and can occur sporadically or predictably. This description of chest pain is obviously very vague, and as you might expect, many medical conditions aside from heart disease can produce symptoms like this.

Causes of Chest Pain

When Is Chest Pain Considered an Emergency?

2. Heart Palpitations

Palpitations, an unusual awareness of the heartbeat, is an extremely common symptom. Most people who complain of palpitations describe them either as “skips” in the heartbeat (that is, a pause, often followed by a particularly strong beat,) or as periods of rapid and/or irregular heartbeats.

Most people with palpitations have some type of cardiac arrhythmia — abnormal heart rhythms. There are many types of arrhythmias, and almost all can cause palpitations, but the most common causes of palpitations are premature atrial complexes (PACs), premature ventricular complexes (PVCs), episodes of atrial fibrillation, and episodes of supraventricular tachycardia (SVT).

Unfortunately, on occasion, palpitations can signal a more dangerous heart arrhythmia, such as ventricular tachycardia.

Understanding Heart Arrhythmias

In-Depth: Palpitations

3. Lightheadedness or Dizziness

Episodes of lightheadedness or dizziness can have many causes, including anemia (low blood count) and other blood disorders, dehydration, viral illnesses, prolonged bed rest, diabetes, thyroid disease, gastrointestinal disturbances, liver disease, kidney disease, vascular disease, neurological disorders, dysautonomias, vasovagal episodes, heart failureand cardiac arrhythmias. Because so many different conditions can produce these symptoms, anybody experiencing episodes of lightheadedness or dizziness ought to have a thorough and complete examination by a physician. And since disorders of so many organ systems can cause these symptoms, a good general internist or family doctor may be the best place to start.

4. Syncope (Fainting/Loss of Consciousness)

Syncope is a sudden and temporary loss of consciousness, or fainting. It is a common symptom – most people pass out at least once in their lives – and often does not indicate a serious medical problem. However, sometimes syncope indicates a dangerous or even life-threatening condition, so when syncope occurs it is important to figure out the cause.

The causes of syncope can be grouped into four major categories: neurologic, metabolic, vasomotor and cardiac. Of these, only cardiac syncope commonly leads to sudden death.

Cardiac-Related Syncope

Non-Cardiac Causes of Syncope

Vasomotor Syncope, by far the most common cause of this symptom.

5. Fatigue, Lethargy or Daytime Sleepiness

Fatigue, lethargy or somnolence (daytime sleepiness) are very common symptoms. Fatigue or lethargy can be thought of as an inability to continue functioning at one’s normal levels. Somnolence implies, in addition, that one either craves sleep – or worse, finds oneself suddenly asleep, a condition known as narcolepsy – during the daytime.

While fatigue and lethargy can be symptoms of heart disease (particularly, of heart failure), these common and non-specific symptoms can also be due to disorders of virtually any other organ system in the body. Similar to lightheadedness and dizziness, individuals with fatigue and lethargy need a good general medical evaluation in order to begin pinning down a specific cause.

Somnolence is often caused by nocturnal sleep disorders such as sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome or insomnia. All these sleep disturbances, however, are more common in patients with heart disease.

6. Shortness of Breath

Shortness of breath is most often a symptom of cardiac or pulmonary (lung) disorders. Heart failure and coronary artery disease frequently produce shortness of breath. Patients with heart failure commonly experience shortness of breath with exertion, or when lying flat on their backs. They also can suddenly wake up at night gasping for breath, a condition known as paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea. Other cardiac conditions such as valvular heart disease or pericardial disease can produce this symptom, as can cardiac arrhythmias.

Numerous lung conditions can produce shortness of breath including asthma, emphysema, bronchitis, pneumonia, or pleural effusion (a fluid accumulation between the lung and chest wall).

If someone is suspected to have a liver disease, the doctor carefully watches the person’s symptoms and conducts a physical examination. Depending on the nature of the symptoms, the doctor may also ask the person to undergo other tests such as a CT scan, liver function test, ultrasound, or liver biopsy. Among the most common liver disease symptoms are jaundice, liver enlargement, cholestasis, liver failure, ascites, portal hypertension and liver encephalopathy.

In jaundice, the levels of bilirubin or bile pigments in the bloodstream become abnormally high leading to a yellow discoloration of the skin and eye whites. Urine often takes a dark color, and other abnormalities are found in the liver cells. In newly born children, jaundice sometimes occurs because of the breakdown of a huge number of red blood cells. Jaundice is more often than not the first sign, and sometimes the only sign, of liver disease.

Cholestasis means diminished or stopped bile flow. The flow may be blocked inside or outside the liver and the symptoms include jaundice, dark urine, pale stool, bone loss, easy bleeding, enlarged spleen or gallbladder, itching, fluid in the abdominal cavity, pain from the biliary tract or pancreas and appearance of small, spider-like blood vessels in the skin. Cholestasis may be caused by alcoholic liver disease, primary biliary cirrhosis, hepatitis, bile duct problems like cancer or narrowing, pancreas cancer or inflammation etc.

When someone’s liver gets enlarged, it usually indicates liver disease, even though there are hardly any symptoms linked with a slightly enlarged liver. If one’s liver is grossly enlarged, its symptom is usually a feeling of discomfort in the abdomen or ‘feeling full.’ Portal hypertension is excessively high level of blood pressure in the portal vein, which supplies the liver with blood from the intestine. Its symptoms include a distended abdominal cavity (ascites), bleeding of the varicose veins at the lower end of the esophagus and in the stomach lining.

Ascites means accumulation of fluid in the abdominal cavity as a result of fluid leaks from the surface of the liver and intestine. Caused usually by liver cirrhosis (especially cirrhosis caused by alcoholism), chronic and alcoholic hepatitis, obstruction of the hepatic vein, ascites has symptoms such as a distended abdominal cavity, which causes discomfort and shortness of breath

Liver encephalopathy occurs when there is deterioration of brain function because of the build-up of toxic substances building up in the blood, which are usually removed by the liver. Liver encephalopathy’s symptoms include impaired consciousness or judgment; alterations in logical thinking, personality, and behavior; confusion; mood swing; drowsiness; sluggish speech and movement, coma, loss of consciousness etc. Liver failure is a disease that occurs when the liver is badly damaged resulting in severe deterioration of liver function. Symptoms of this liver disease include jaundice, tendency to bruise or bleed easily, impaired brain function, ascites, fatigue, poor overall health, nausea, loss of appetite, fatigue, weakness etc.

Any person experiencing one or more of the symptoms mentioned above should immediately consult his doctor as he/she is most probably suffering from a liver disease which needs immediate medical attention. Otherwise, if left untreated, it could well take a serious turn.