Symptoms of Liver Disease

The liver is one of the most important organs of the body because it handles toxin removal in the entire body. If the liver begins to fail, it is almost guaranteed that more of the liver will start dying faster and death can be in the future – liver is such a pivotal organ. Knowing the symptoms of liver disease can make it easier to self-diagnose. There are a series of symptoms that are not very specific to liver disease, but appear in most cases:

• Fatigue,
• Weakness,
• Abdominal pain, either acute or very strong,
• Loss of appetite.

The issue with these symptoms is that they can be connected to numerous different abdominal problems. For example, the above four symptoms are connected to appendicitis. Therefore, it is important to pay attention to more specific liver disease symptoms. If these start to appear, it is very important to go to the doctor. The symptoms are:

• Jaundice which is the yellowing of the skin. This is caused by the accumulation of bilirubin in the blood,
• Itching throughout the body,
• Bruising that happens easier caused by the decrease production of blood clotting factors.

If these happen, go to the doctor because they are direct signs of liver disease. However, if the liver disease is in connection to cirrhosis, there are even more severe symptoms that a patient must get help for. These are:

• Fluid accumulation in the legs and abdomen known as edema and ascites respectively
• Mental confusion
• Kidney failure
• Increased susceptibility to bacterial infections
• Gastrointestinal bleeding.

Gastrointestinal bleeding will be noticed if there is blood in the bowel movements. If any or all of these symptoms are apparent, getting to the doctor is important. At this stage, though, it might be difficult to treat. A liver transplant might be needed; however, if the cause of this is drug and alcohol abuse, the chances of getting a transplanted liver are greatly decreased.

Because of the importance of the liver, it is important not to abuse it. The liver has the ability to regenerate its cells and heal, because it is consistently under bombardment from toxins. However, if alcohol and drugs are added into the mix, it becomes overwhelming for the liver and results in permanent damage, destruction of the liver and potentially, fatality.