There is a broad range of liver diseases. The symptoms experienced are usually specific for the illness being suffered until the latter stage of liver disease and the liver fails. Progressive liver destruction may be ‘asymptomatic’ (having no symptoms) in the beginning of the condition or in mild conditions. Sometimes it is difficult to predict what the symptoms of liver damage will be. Early signs will usually be similar to symptoms associated with other diseases. Some of the earlier signs are:
-Diarrhea -Fatigue -Liver pain -Loss of appetite -Nausea - many times in the morning -Inflammation of the abdomen that can cause abdominal pain -Fingernails may be partially white -Thinning of the hair
Symptoms of a liver that is severely damaged are:
- Tendency to bleed and bruise quite easily -Hepatomegaly - Enlargement of the liver that causes discomfort in the abdomen and a ‘full’ feeling -Palpar erythema - spotty, red palms -Jaundice - elevation of bilirubin levels in the blood (hyperbilirubinemia) turns the skin, and sometimes the whites of the eyes yellow -Hepatic encephalopathy - moments of confusion or loss of memory -Stomach hemorrahage - vomiting blood -Cholestasis - bile flow is stopped or reduced, can be outside or inside the liver -Weight loss - because of the loss of body fat and fluid
-Ascites - fluid build up in abdomen -Coughing up blood -Gynecomastia - breast enlargement in men -Jaundice - yellowing of the skin and possibly the whites of the eyes -Vomiting up blood -Gallstones -Loss of hair -Itching -Loss of appetite -Red Palms -Impairment of nerve functions -Kidney failure -Muscle atrophy (muscle loss) -Shrunken liver - Fingers start to curve involuntarily -Shrunken testicles - Portal hypertension - high blood pressure in the portal vein that carries the blood from the digestive system to the liver -Clubbing - deformity of the fingers/fingernails -Abdomen veins are distended (swollen) -Weakness -Reduced libido - lower than normal sex drive -Weight loss -Anemia - a decreased amount of red blood cells and hemoglobin in the body determined by a blood test -Reduced fertility - difficulty conceiving - Asterixis - a wrist tremor that occurs when the wrist is extended -Spider veins in the skin - Hypogonadism - a decrease in functional activity of the gonads -Odd breath odor - breath is pungent, sweet
-Hepatomegaly - large and tender liver - Fever -Pain in the upper right quadrant -Jaundice - yellowing of skin and/or eyes -Ascites - excess peritoneal fluid -Edema - an abnormal fluid build up under the skin
Some of the more rare symptoms of a fatty liver may include:
-Varices - distended veins -Menstrual disorders in women -Spider angiomas - telangiectasis slightly under skin with a red center branching out in spider web fashion, more than five of these may indicate liver disease -Transient gynecomastia - brief enlargement of breasts in males
-Extreme pain in the upper right quadrant or the upper central region of the abdomen -Weight loss -Fever -Weakness -Anorexia -Jaundice on occasion -Ascites on occasion -Dependent edema -Autoimmune Hepatitis