Liver Damage Signs & Symptoms

Liver damage can be a very serious condition regardless of the cause. To diagnose the various liver problems a doctor will use a physical examination, a blood test, a urine sample and an imaging test such as an MRI or CT scan. Some of the more common symptoms of liver damage are darkened urine and bleeding easily. If these, or other liver damage symptoms, appear it is important to get to a doctor immediately.

Identification

• The liver is a large brown organ located below the stomach. The primary functions of the liver include breaking down fats, keeping substances that can do damage to the body from entering the blood stream, storing important vitamins and minerals and creating urea which is the primary component of urine. When the liver is damaged there can be many different effects such as harmful substances being allowed into the blood stream, an improper balance of vitamins and nutrients in the body and since the liver also produces the levels of cholesterol the body needs, there can be an imbalance in cholesterol production. There are three main types of liver conditions and they are liver disease, liver cancer and cirrhosis.

Liver Disease

• Liver disease is a description given to a variety of conditions that can cause inflammation in the liver and prevent the liver from doing its job. The primary symptoms of liver disease are sharp abdominal pains located just below the right side of the rib cage, fatigue, nausea that could lead to vomiting, noticeable swelling in the abdomen and possibly in the legs as well and a loss of appetite that could lead to a significant weight loss.

Liver Cancer

• Liver cancer is a condition that occurs when cancerous cells create a tumor in the liver. These cancerous cells may have originated in the liver, or they could have originated in another part of the body and then made their way to the liver. Some of the common symptoms of liver cancer are an enlargement of the liver that makes the area just below the right side of the rib cage tender to the touch, nausea that can lead to vomiting, unexplained weight loss that may or may not be accompanied by a loss of appetite, abdominal cramps and pain and a general feeling of weakness throughout the body.

Cirrhosis

• Cirrhosis of the liver is a deformity in the structure of the liver that constantly creates dying cells which are replaced by scarring. There are new cells that are made to replace the dying cells which then can group together and cause growths within the liver that can block the ducts and tubes the liver uses to carry fluids. This damage to the liver can slow the production of some of the more important parts of the blood including the platelets needed for clotting. Some of the symptoms of cirrhosis are bruising easily, general weakness and fatigue, a chronic itching in no specific area and a loss of appetite that may lead to a noticeable weight loss.

Jaundice

• While the various conditions of liver damage can show varying symptoms, they all share the symptom of jaundice. Jaundice is characterized by a yellowing of the skin and the whites of the eyes. Jaundice occurs when the liver is no longer able to store or move the urea and bile that are created as waste products. These wastes build up in the liver and eventually start getting into the blood stream and other parts of the body.