Liver pain is sometimes confused with a pain in the right shoulder, or in the abdomen, or the kidney. Many liver diseases and other organ conditions can cause liver pain. Some of these can lead to liver 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.
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.
Over time, that can scar your liver and keep it from doing its job. Fatty liver usually causes no symptoms. But it can make you tired or give you a constant dull pain either in the right upper part of your belly, or all over it.
The pain may be throbbing or stabbing, and it can come and go. If you experience this type of pain regularly, or if the intensity of it prevents you from functioning normally, seek medical attention as soon as possible.
Signs and symptoms of acute liver failure may include: Yellowing of your skin and eyeballs (jaundice) Pain in your upper right abdomen.
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.
Liver pain can signal problems in the liver itself or in other parts of the body. Conditions that directly affect the liver and can lead to pain include: excessive alcohol consumption. hepatitis, or liver inflammation. nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.
People with fatty liver disease often have no symptoms until the disease progresses to cirrhosis of the liver. If you do have symptoms, they may include: Abdominal pain or a feeling of fullness in the upper right side of the abdomen (belly). Nausea, loss of appetite or weight loss.
So what does liver pain feel like? It manifests in different ways, but a common form is a dull throbbing. For some people, it occurs as a sharp, stabbing pain. Sometimes the pain migrates to other nearby areas, such as the right shoulder blade and the back.
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. They might notice that your liver is palpable to the touch, which it normally wouldn't be.
Liver pain is felt in the upper right area of the abdomen, just below the ribs. Usually, it is a dull, vague pain though it can sometimes be quite severe and may cause a backache, according to the Cleveland Clinic (opens in new tab). Sometimes people perceive it as pain in the right shoulder.
Too much refined sugar and high-fructose corn syrup causes a fatty buildup that can lead to liver disease. Some studies show that sugar can be as damaging to the liver as alcohol, even if you're not overweight. It's one more reason to limit foods with added sugars, such as soda, pastries, and candy.
Some imaging tests, including special ultrasound and MRI scans can help diagnose the disease and spot scar tissue in the liver. But the only way to be certain that fatty liver disease is the only cause of liver damage is with a liver biopsy. A liver biopsy involves getting a tissue sample of your liver with a needle.
What is the most common cause of right upper quadrant pain? Inflammation of the gallbladder (cholecystitis) is the most common diagnosable cause for pain in the right upper quadrant. Cholecystitis usually occurs when the main opening to the gallbladder becomes blocked, either by a gallstone or biliary sludge.
Get emergency medical help right away if you have: Abdominal or chest pain. Abdominal swelling or ascites that is new or suddenly becomes worse. A fever (temperature greater than 101°F or 38.3°C)
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.
Blood tests are done to determine how well your liver works. A prothrombin time test measures how long it takes your blood to clot. With acute liver failure, blood doesn't clot as quickly as it should.
When symptoms do occur, they may first include fatigue, weakness and weight loss, nausea, bruising or bleeding easily, swelling in your legs, feet or ankles, itchy skin, redness on the palms of your hands, and spider-like blood vessels on your skin.
Elevated liver enzymes may be a sign that a person's liver is not working properly. Damaged or inflamed liver cells release enzymes into the bloodstream, which a blood test will detect. Doctors test people for elevated liver enzymes if they have symptoms of conditions that typically cause liver damage.