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Liver disease may be quite stealthy; if people aren’t aware of the symptoms, it’s easy to overlook until the condition has progressed. “That’s the difficult part of treating patients,” says gastroenterologist Anurag Maheshwari, MD. “Convincing the patients that they need to act right now to avoid future problems might be tough since they don’t feel much different today.” Here are four indicators of liver disease identified by doctors.
1 — Being Overweight and Diabetic
According to experts, having diabetes and being overweight are strongly linked with fatty liver disease. “The number of risk factors for NAFLD is increasing,” says Laura Dichtel, MD. “We currently have no FDA-approved medications for NAFLD; however, weight reduction is the only proven treatment. Understanding how the growth hormone modifies fat accumulation and inflammation in persons with NAFLD may lead to the development of new targeted therapies.”
2 — Fatigue and Weakness
“Fatigue is one of the most prevalent and debilitating symptoms among those with liver illness,” says Melissa Palmer, MD. “The fatigue associated with liver diseases such as primary biliary cirrhosis and chronic hepatitis C is common to all types of liver disease. Fatigue begins many years after the diagnosis of liver disease is made in some people. In some cases, it was the main reason for seeing a doctor. In such persons, several visits to numerous specialists are made in order to discover an explanation for their profound tiredness. Some patients seek psychiatric evaluation as depression is sometimes present.”
3 — Jaundice
Jaundice is a typical indication of liver disease, and it should never be neglected. “Many disorders that can cause jaundice, mainly severe liver disease, produce additional symptoms or significant issues,” says Danielle Tholey, MD. “In persons with liver disease have symptoms that might include vomiting, nausea and abdominal discomfort, as well as small spider-like blood vessels that can be visible in the skin called spider angiomas.”
4 — Abdominal Pain
Abdominal discomfort might be ascites, which is a symptom of liver damage. “Ascites is fluid accumulation in the abdominal cavity as a result of leaks from the surface of the intestine and liver,” says Johns Hopkins Medicine. “Ascites caused by liver disease is usually present with other liver disease symptoms such as portal hypertension. Ascites symptoms include an distended abdominal cavity, which can cause shortness of breath and discomfort.”
