Causes of Liver Enlargement

The liver is one of the largest organs in the body. Its functions include filtering the blood, producing bile and amino acids, and serving as a storage site for glucose. When the liver becomes enlarged or "fatty," the body can suffer serious side effects, some of which can be fatal if left untreated. Here are some of the factors that cause hepatomegaly, or enlargement of the liver.

Congestive Heart Failure

• Congestive heart failure compromises the heart's ability to pump blood. When blood becomes congested on the right side of the heart, it causes the liver to become enlarged.

Alcohol Use

• When excessive amounts of alcohol are consumed over a long period of time, the liver can become weakened. Because the liver processes alcohol, excessive drinking overworks the organ. This can lead to a fatty liver, and eventually to a more serious condition called cirrhosis, or hardening of the liver.

Hemochromatosis

• Hemochromatosis is a condition wherein there is an excessive amount of iron in the body. When major organs such as the heart, pancreas and liver try to absorb the extra iron, they become enlarged.

Cancer

• When a liver is cancerous, tumors can develop and grow, causing the organ to become enlarged. Liver cancer is typically a secondary type of cancer, meaning that it develops when cancer originating from other areas of the body spreads to the liver.

Hepatitis

• Hepatitis--particularly hepatitis A, B and C--can cause the liver to become enlarged. Because hepatitis is viral, it can be transmitted by using dirty needles, ingesting fecal matter, by exchanging bodily fluids with an infected person through sexual activity or through blood transfusions.

Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

• Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, seen in people with obesity, diabetes or high cholesterol, causes an accumulation of fat in the liver. The result is inflammation and subsequent enlargement of the liver.

Other Causes

• Other causes of enlarged liver include mononucleosis and leukemia.