They are two words that nobody wants to hear. Although there are a number of causes, one of the most common is chronic alcohol abuse. The liver is a football-sized organ on the right side of the abdomen. It is essential for a number of body functions including blood clotting, breaking down damaged blood cells, breaking down fats and producing energy, as well as the body’s other metabolic processes. The liver is also responsible for eliminating the body’s toxins.
What Are The Causes?
Liver disease may be most commonly associated with chronic alcohol abuse, but other risk factors include:
● Genetics: Liver disease can be inherited. Certain inherited genes cause substances to build up in the liver, causing damage.
● Viruses/Parasites: Viruses such as hepatitis cause liver failure over time, because they cause inflammation of the organ that reduces function.
● Alcohol abuse: Chronic alcohol use and/or abuse can lead to liver damage which, if caught early, is reversible
● Obesity: Obesity is linked with fatty liver disease.
● Immune system abnormality: Certain autoimmune disorders can attack the liver, or overload the liver as it attempts to break down bad blood cells.
● Cancer: Cancer of the liver or bile ducts can lead to liver failure.
● Fatty Liver Disease: This condition can be caused by alcohol consumption or nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, which is caused by a number of factors.
Over time, as the liver becomes more damaged, it leads to scarring on the organ, called cirrhosis, which can lead to liver failure. Liver failure is a life-threatening condition that requires a liver transplant for survival. While many other causes of liver disease can be reversed if caught in its early stages, liver failure isn’t one of them.
What Are The Signs?
One of the key elements to stopping or reversing liver disease is abstaining from alcohol. Dietary changes are also imperative. Of course, knowing is half the battle; it’s important to recognize the early signs of liver damage that should prompt you to seek treatment and begin home remedies, including the lifestyle changes mentioned above. Do you know what to look for? Do any of the symptoms below sound familiar?
Swollen And/Or Painful Abdomen
Cirrhosis, or scarring on the liver, causes fluid build-up in the abdomen This leads to a bloated, swollen abdomen, sometimes called a “beer belly.” According to Mayo Clinic, this condition is known as ascites, and is caused by the body retaining high levels of albumin and proteins in the blood. People with cirrhosis of the liver can also experience swelling in the ankles, as the body’s accumulated fluid is pulled down by gravity. Your doctor can prescribe you diuretics and a low-sodium diet to treat this condition as a part of your treatment for liver disease, but in severe cases, an IV drain, shunt, or liver transplant may be necessary.
Liver disease can also lead to chronic abdominal pain, most commonly occurring on the upper right quadrant, where the liver sits. This pain can range from a chronic throbbing to a sharp, stabbing pain that can only be relieved with pain medications. Because overuse of over the counter (OTC) medications, like acetaminophen (the active ingredient in Tylenol) can cause liver damage, using these medications to treat pain may actually contribute to the progression of your liver disease. If you are experiencing chronic abdominal pain, you should seek medical attention and develop a long-term strategy to reverse the damage to the liver and/or improve your quality of life.
Jaundice
Patients with liver disease will often develop a discoloration in the skin and eye, taking on a yellow hue. This condition is called jaundice and is a telltale marker for liver disease. Jaundice is a result of the buildup of bilirubin - a bile pigment - in the blood that is unable to be eliminated from the body because of the damaged liver. This build-up will also likely lead to dark-colored urine and light-colored stools. If you begin developing the yellowish skin hue that’s characteristic of jaundice, it’s important to seek medical attention immediately. Left untreated, jaundice can lead to brain damage. If your jaundice is caused by liver disease, it will diminish as the liver begins to regenerate itself and liver functions improve.
It is important to note, however, that patients with liver disease shouldn’t use the presence, or absence, of jaundice as an indication of their own disease. Even if your symptoms of jaundice go away, you should still follow your doctor’s treatment plan for managing your liver health.
Dark Urine
As the skin develops a yellowish color with the buildup of bilirubin in the body, the urine may turn a dark yellow. Damaged livers are unable to eliminate this pigment efficiently, which can cause toxic damage to the body. Seizures, uncontrollable eye movements, and brain damage can result from high bilirubin levels over time.
If you have the risk factors for liver damage and notice that your urine has become dark in color, it may be a symptom of the damage; however, dark urine, may be a sign of dehydration, infections, or other, less serious conditions. If you have chronically dark urine that has a particularly strong odor, call your doctor to discuss your risk factors and related symptoms of liver damage.
Skin Damage
Skin won’t just begin to look yellow with liver damage. It will also often develop into an irritated, reddish flaky rash in the later stages of liver illness, characterized by thick, flaky patches of skin that are so itchy they lead the patient to scratch at the skin regularly. The skin on the hands and feet can also become red, wrinkled and irritated, and dark spots or patches may develop on the skin. These are commonly called liver spots. These spots are another telltale sign that your liver has become damaged, and that you should make an appointment with your doctor.
Loss of Appetite
Left untreated, liver damage will result in more serious, life-threatening complications. One of these symptoms is a loss of appetite as the liver is unable to efficiently help break down food, which will result in quick, dramatic weight loss. This symptom is typically a marker of late stage liver disease, where the liver has become so damaged that it will not be able to regenerate itself, and a transplant may be the only viable solution. If you or a loved one begin experiencing trouble keeping food down or have developed a lack of interest in food, get medical attention immediately.