You likely won't notice an enlarged liver on your own. In some severe cases, you might notice a feeling of bloating or fullness in your belly, or an ache in your upper right abdomen, where your liver is. It's more likely your healthcare provider will discover it during an exam.
Symptoms of an inflamed liver can include: Feelings of fatigue. Jaundice (a condition that causes your skin and the whites of your eyes to turn yellow) Feeling full quickly after a meal.
An enlarged liver is one that's bigger than normal. The medical term is hepatomegaly (hep-uh-toe-MEG-uh-le). Rather than a disease, an enlarged liver is a sign of an underlying problem, such as liver disease, congestive heart failure or cancer. Treatment involves identifying and controlling the cause of the condition.
A blood sample is tested to determine liver enzyme levels and identify viruses that can cause enlarged liver. Imaging tests. Imaging tests include CT scan, ultrasound or MRI .
As the liver becomes more severely damaged, more obvious and serious symptoms can develop, such as: yellowing of the skin or whites of the eyes (jaundice) swelling in the legs, ankles and feet caused by a build-up of fluid (oedema) swelling in your abdomen caused by a build-up of fluid known as ascites.
Pain in your liver itself can feel like a dull throbbing pain or a stabbing sensation in your right upper abdomen just under your ribs. General abdominal pain and discomfort can also be related to swelling from fluid retention and enlargement of your spleen and liver caused by cirrhosis.
Is mild hepatomegaly dangerous? The extent to which a slightly enlarged liver is dangerous depends on the reason for the enlargement. For people with NAFLD, a slightly enlarged liver is unlikely to pose a major threat to health.
Liver disease can also cause inflammation throughout the body, leading to a general feeling of discomfort. Ascites, or a buildup of fluid in the abdomen caused by liver disease, can lead to sharp pain, or even pain when breathing.
Blood tests used to assess the liver are known as liver function tests. But liver function tests can be normal at many stages of liver disease. Blood tests can also detect if you have low levels of certain substances, such as a protein called serum albumin, which is made by the liver.
Acute liver failure causes fatigue, nausea, loss of appetite, discomfort on your right side, just below your ribs, and diarrhea. Acute liver failure is a serious condition. It requires medical care right away. If treatments are not effective, you may be a candidate for a liver transplant.
A group of blood tests called liver function tests can be used to diagnose liver disease. Other blood tests can be done to look for specific liver problems or genetic conditions. Imaging tests. An ultrasound, CT scan and MRI can show liver damage.
Stage 1: Inflammation
In the early stages of liver disease, the liver will become swollen or inflamed as the body's natural response to injury. Liver inflammation, or hepatitis, can also occur when there are more toxins in the blood than the liver is able to manage. The earlier the diagnosis, the better.
The liver damage associated with mild alcoholic hepatitis is usually reversible if you stop drinking permanently. Severe alcoholic hepatitis, however, is a serious and life-threatening illness.
Hepatomegaly is enlargement of the liver beyond its normal size. Certain conditions such as infection, parasites, tumors, anemias, toxic states, storage diseases, heart failure, congenital heart disease, and metabolic disturbances may all cause an enlarged liver.
But if your liver isn't able to complete its tasks due to too many accumulated toxins, you'll suffer from symptoms of hormonal imbalance. This important — but little-known — connection between your liver and your hormones can lead to one of the most frustrating symptoms of hormonal imbalance: stubborn weight gain.
Alcoholic hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver that lasts one to two weeks.It is believed to lead to alcoholic cirrhosis over a period of years.
The recovery timeline depends on the kind of fatty liver disease you have, the stage, and whether or not you suffer from any other health conditions. An average period of 6 weeks to 2 months is an expected timeframe to recover from fatty liver disease.
Both AFLD and NAFLD present similarly. However, in many cases, fatty liver causes no noticeable symptoms. But you may feel tired, or experience discomfort or pain in the upper right side of your abdomen. Some people with fatty liver disease develop complications, including liver scarring.