Place your right hand on the patient's abdomen in the right lower quadrant. Gently move up to the right upper quadrant lateral to the rectus muscle. Gently pressing in and up, ask the patient to take a deep breath. If the liver is enlarged, it will come downward to meet your fingertips and will be recognizable.
The edge of the liver is normally thin and firm. It cannot be felt with the fingertips below the edge of the ribs, except when you take a deep breath. It may be enlarged if a health care provider can feel it in this area.
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.
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.
Abdominal pain. Fatigue. Nausea and vomiting. Yellowing of the skin and the whites of the eyes (jaundice)
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.
You should try to palpate liver by superficial palpation and not deep palpation. Liver edge is just hugging anterior abdominal wall. With superficial palpation, let the liver edge come and touch your fingers with deep breathing rather than you going after liver.
Most of the time, if you have a slightly enlarged liver, you won't notice any symptoms. If it's severely swollen, you may have: A feeling of fullness. Discomfort in your belly.
Liver pain can be felt in the upper part of the abdomen, on the right hand side but also in the back and the right shoulder. It can be dull and non specific, but it may also be severe. It can be a sign of liver disease. A healthy liver helps the body fight infections, cleans the blood, and plays a role in metabolism.
Here are some of the most common signs that you may be developing liver problems. A general unwell feeling. An underperforming liver can't filter toxins out of the bloodstream, resulting in fatigue, headaches and skin problems. Frequent gassy sensation.
To palpate the liver, place your right hand parallel to the right costal margin, and use your left hand to support the inferior aspect of the rib cage. Provide a steady downward pressure to feel for the liver and gallbladder.
Symptoms of NAFLD
a dull or aching pain in the top right of the tummy (over the lower right side of the ribs) fatigue (extreme tiredness) unexplained weight loss.
A stressed liver impacts the overall body functions – it may cause ringing in the ears, insomnia, dizziness, blurry vision, allergies, no sex drive, internal or intestinal bleeding, sensitivities to chemicals, PMS, drastic weight loss and spider veins.
Fatty Liver Disease
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.
Pain in the Upper Right Abdomen
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.
Pain below your ribs can be caused by your GI tract, like GERD, indigestion, gallbladder disease, or constipation, or problems with your lungs, like pneumonia. You may also have nausea, bloating, chest pain, coughing, or pain that's worse when you breathe in.
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. a high temperature and shivering attacks.
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.
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.
Most people with liver disease report abdominal pain. 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.
As the liver tries to halt inflammation, it produces areas of scarring (fibrosis). With continued inflammation, fibrosis spreads to take up more and more liver tissue. If the process isn't interrupted, cirrhosis can lead to: Fluid buildup in the abdomen (ascites)