What are the signs that your liver is not functioning properly?

What’s covered?

The liver is one of the most critical organs in the body. It plays a role in many vital processes, including metabolism and detoxification. Various risk factors lead to liver damage and allow for build-up over time.

What is liver damage?

Liver damage also known as liver disease or cirrhosis is when your liver stops functioning as well as it should. It is not able to filter the toxic substances out of your blood as effectively anymore. The liver is incredibly resilient and is able to regenerate some of its liver tissue but if it is not able to heal and create more healthy liver tissue. Eventually, cirrhosis leads to liver failure if the symptoms are ignored or no treatment is given. There are certain factors that give you an increased risk of liver damage. These risk factors include:

• Alcohol misuse

• Use of herbal compounds

• Over-the-counter medications

• Exchanging fluids with someone who has Hepatitis B

• Sharing needles

• Unsafe blood transfusions

If you have any risk factors, you must be aware of them and take precautions to protect your liver. Even if you don't have any symptoms of liver damage, you may have liver disease, as some people may be asymptomatic. For example, about 40% of individuals with cirrhosis are not symptomatic until the disease's most advanced stages.

Many people with liver disease are diagnosed without showing any symptoms. Instead, abnormalities are detected incidentally in biochemical liver tests as part of routine physical examinations or screening for blood donation or employment.

With new modern technology, liver tests are widely available and made it easy to determine if someone has liver damage and to rule it out in someone suspected of having liver disease. If you are looking to take a liver test, check here.

What are the symptoms of liver disease?

The common manifestations of liver disease include constitutional symptoms such

• Fatigue

• Weakness

• Nausea

• Poor appetite

• Discomfort

More liver-specific symptoms of jaundice and icterus, due to bile formation and flow alterations, become clinically evident as yellow discolouration of the skin and sclera, respectively, dark urine, light stools, itching, abdominal pain, and bloating. These symptoms may be a sign you need to see a doctor.

Lots of symptoms and their onset patterns can help point to an aetiology. The onset and prominence of symptoms can rapidly suggest a diagnosis, mainly if significant risk factors are considered, such as the age and sex of the patient and a history of exposure or risky behaviours.

What are the signs of liver disease?

• Liver disease is typically marked by icterus, enlarged liver, tenderness over the liver, enlarged spleen, skin rashes, and skin itchiness.

• Advanced liver disease may include muscle wasting, swelling of extremities and abdomen, visible abdominal veins, abnormal muscle movements, mental confusion, stupor, and eventually coma.

• In male patients with cirrhosis, signs of feminization, such as the presence of male breasts, testicular shrinkage, and loss of male-pattern hair distribution, may be found.

How do we test for liver disease?

If you're concerned about your liver health, you can take multiple laboratory tests to assess the damage's severity. Some of these include the serum bilirubin level, liver enzymes (AST/SGOT, ALT/SGPT, and alkaline phosphatase), bleeding coagulation profiles (prothrombin time (PT)), and serum proteins with albumin and globulin ratio (A/G ratio). You can find available liver blood tests here.

Lastly, it's essential to stay healthy by avoiding alcohol, sugar, and fatty foods and eating more nutrient-rich foods like vegetables, berries, and grapes. Keeping your liver healthy is crucial! If you are at all worried about the health of your liver, head on over here to find out more.