The liver is the largest organ in the body, and perhaps also one of the most important. It helps protect your body tissue from damage and filters toxins out of your blood stream. It’s even capable of repairing damaged tissue on itself, but certain liver conditions can permanently damage the organ, which, if left untreated, could become life threatening. But if caught early, liver disease can be treated effectively. Liver disease may not show any noticeable symptoms in the beginning stages, but as the condition worsens, you will begin to notice symptoms like fatigue, nausea, weight loss, abdominal pain, weight loss, and others.
If you begin to notice these symptoms, it is important to discuss them with a doctor before determining what the cause may be. Your doctor will determine whether you have a poorly functioning liver through blood tests, imaging scans, or by analyzing tissue. If you do have liver disease, your doctor can help you determine the best treatment plan for your particular condition. Making changes to your lifestyle, such as removing alcohol from your diet or losing excess weight, can treat some mild forms of liver disease. Others require medications or surgery to repair the damage. If your liver condition leads to liver failure, you will likely need to treat it with a liver transplant. Here are eight signs of liver disease you should look out for.
1. Fatigue
This is probably the most common symptom of a poorly functioning liver, especially because the liver plays such an important role in many of the body’s functions. Fatigue is different than just being tired, though. It’s actually a mental lack of energy or motivation to exert yourself when doing daily activities. Although it can affect someone any time of the day, it’s most common in the morning, about an hour after waking up. A diseased liver can cause fatigue because the liver involved in the process of supplying the body with energy. It converts glucose into glycogen, stores it, and releases it when the body needs energy.
A liver that is not functioning properly has less ability to produce glucose and also less space to store it. Additionally, the liver can also produce more carbohydrates from things like protein and fat when the body is not producing enough on it’s own. Those who are suffering from liver disease, suffer from tiredness as a result of the immune system’s response to this. A healthy immune system response involves the brain releasing certain chemicals. Liver disease causes the body stress, which as a result, weakens the immune system and causes it not to release the appropriate chemicals.
2. Weight Loss
Other symptoms of liver disease include nausea, abdominal pain, and bloating. All things that wont’ make those suffering from a poorly functioning liver want to eat much of anything. As a result, weight loss becomes a common symptom of liver disease. On the other hand, liver disease can often cause sufferers to simply be at an unhealthy weight, whether that’s overweight or underweight. For example, nonalcoholic liver disease happens when excess fat builds up around the liver. This can eventually cause scarring of the liver and can even be a problem for people who aren’t considered a high risk for developing the disease. Keeping yourself at a healthy weight can help to prevent the disease from developing.
3. Nausea
This is often another symptom associated with a poorly functioning liver. It’s defined simply as the urge to vomit, whether that actually occurs or not. In liver disease, this can be a symptom that’s only present for a short period of time, or it can be prolonged and miserable, which can have a debilitating effect on the sufferer’s daily life. While nausea can have many causes, when it comes to liver disease, the cause is the liver’s inability to function properly. Along with fatigue, nausea is often one of the first symptoms someone will notice if they are suffering from liver disease.
4. Loss of Appetite
When you are feeling unwell, eating is the last thing on your mind. That’s why with liver damage often comes a loss of appetite. The liver plays a large role in ensuring that your digestive system works properly, and when you’re unable to digest the food you eat properly, it can make eating a pretty unpleasant task. Loss of appetite can often lead to worsening of the liver condition. It means the body isn’t absorbing the appropriate nutrients and is leading the sufferer to an unhealthy body weight. It’s important to consult with your doctor to develop a treatment plan and diet that will allow your liver to heal as much as possible.
5. Abdominal Pain
Not surprisingly, abdominal pain is also another symptom associated with liver disease. When an organ in the abdominal area, such as the liver, is damaged or inflamed, as is the case with liver disease, it can cause harm to the organs around it. Many organs work together to function properly, so when one is failing, the others feel somewhat unwell, too. Additionally, since the liver swells when it is diseased, it can provide other organs around it with the sensation of pain. Since the abdomen is where the liver is centralized, this area often becomes inflamed and painful to the sufferer.
6. Dark Urine
Most everyone knows that dark urine can be a symptom of dehydration, but it can also be a much more troubling symptom, especially if you are experiencing any others associated with liver disease. In the case of dehydration, the urine is often a dark yellow color. But in the case of liver disease, the urine can be orange, amber, or dark brown. But, not only does liver damage affect your urine, it can also affect the way your stool looks as well, so be sure to keep an eye on both. Bile in the stomach is what gives stool its brown color. Stool affected by liver disease can sometimes be a gray, yellow, or overly pale. These colors are all causes for immediate concern.
7. Yellow Skin
Our skin can often become flushed or change colors for a variety of reasons. When the skin becomes yellow, this condition is referred to as Jaundice. This yellowing color can occur in the eyes as well. Newborn babies often suffer from the condition, and it can be cured easily, but when it’s found in adults, the cause can be much more troubling. A properly functioning liver would be able to break down the “bilirubin,” which is the cause of the yellow skin, but a poorly functioning liver wouldn’t be able to do so, thus leading to the skin adopting a yellowish tint.
8. Low-Grade Fever
Many people who suffer from liver damage often have symptoms synonymous of the flu, including a low-grade fever. A fever is often a sign of infection or that something is not quite right within the body. A low-grade fever is typically classified as an oral temperature of above 98.6 degrees but lower than 100.4 degrees. While a low-grade fever is often not much cause for concern, if you are experiencing many of the other symptoms on this list, and you don’t have the flu, a poorly functioning liver may be the cause. It’s important to consult with your doctor if you are experiencing a recurring fever, whether it is the result of liver disease or not.
Each of these symptoms are ones that can occur with other illnesses or diseases, so be sure to consult with your doctor if you are experiencing the symptoms on this list or any other signs that point to issues with your liver. They will be able to diagnose the cause and lead you down the best path to recovery.
