The normal liver may be slightly tender upon palpation, but the inflamed liver (hepatitis) is often exquisitely tender. The patient should be reassured that such discomfort will be only momentary. The nodularity, irregularity, firmness, and hardness of the liver can be characterized.
A liver blood test measures the levels of various things in your blood, like proteins, liver enzymes, and bilirubin. This can help check the health of your liver and for signs of inflammation or damage.
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.
Normal: In normal patients, the edge of the liver may be palpable just below the costal margin. It is soft and smooth and may be slightly tender.
Clinical Significance
In the majority of normal examinations the liver is not palpable. Cases in which the normal liver is palpable include emphysema, right-sided pleural effusion, thin body carriage, Riedel's lobe, or deep diaphragmatic excursion.
If signs and symptoms of liver disease do occur, they may include: Skin and eyes that appear yellowish (jaundice) Abdominal pain and swelling. Swelling in the legs and ankles.
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.
Depending on the cause, a liver that hurts may show up as pain in the front center of your belly, in your back, or even your shoulders. Your liver doesn't actually have any pain receptors. Usually, the pain happens because the membrane that surrounds it is inflamed from an illness or injury.
There are at-home liver panel tests that can determine liver function by screening for proteins and enzymes like albumin, globulin, ALP, ALT, and GGT. These tests use a finger-prick sample and include materials to collect and send your specimen to the lab. You can order a liver panel from home and get tested in a lab.
passing black, tarry poo and vomiting blood as a result of internal bleeding. a tendency to bleed and bruise more easily, such as frequent nosebleeds and bleeding gums. increased sensitivity to alcohol and drugs because the liver cannot process them.
So, when the liver is stressed, it can disturb our emotional health. Emotions like anger, impatience, irritability and depression are common symptoms when the liver is in distress. Worse, it can affect your decision-making abilities and cause brain fog. It may even result in aggression and nasty outburst.
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.
In most cases, fatty liver disease doesn't cause any serious problems or prevent your liver from functioning normally. But for 7% to 30% of people with the condition, fatty liver disease gets worse over time. It progresses through three stages: Your liver becomes inflamed (swollen), which damages its tissue.
Liver failure occurs when your liver isn't working well enough to perform its functions (for example, manufacturing bile and ridding your body of harmful substances). Symptoms include nausea, loss of appetite, and blood in the stool. Treatments include avoiding alcohol and avoiding certain foods.
If you find yourself experiencing liver pain, it could be a sign of a more serious medical condition. The liver is an organ that filters the blood and performs other important functions in the body. Signs that your liver is not functioning properly include fatigue, abdominal pain, jaundice and other symptoms and signs.
You may feel a very hard lump or swelling in the region just below your rib cage on your right side. Often, this mass is painless, and if you have pain, you may feel more discomfort in the areas surrounding the mass.